


Beneath the Surface

by riseofthefallenone



Series: Out of the Deep [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Mermaids, Mermen, merfolk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 14:42:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 252,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3654213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riseofthefallenone/pseuds/riseofthefallenone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate universe of my beloved Out of the Deep that takes place entirely in the world of the Fin-kin. Castiel is still the bright-fin we know and love from OotD. But Dean? He’s a fang-fin; a violent breed of fin-kin who want nothing more than to bring war to Castiel's colony - or so he's been led to believe. </p><p> </p><p>  <strong>Updates every second Tuesday at 12:00PM CST</strong></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fang-fin!AU is a long awaited alternate universe look at my fin-kin creatures introduced in one of my first SPN fics, [Out of the Deep.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/548878/chapters/977676). Beneath the Surface is a stand alone fic and OotD does not need to be read prior to it. I _do_ suggest reading the prequel [Puberty](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1523078) because most of it does apply to Beneath the Surface - though it is not required reading.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has waited so patiently for this to come around. I'm sorry it's taken so long! I hope it's everything that you were waiting for and then some. ♥ Thank you so much for reading. ♥
> 
> [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar) | ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) |

Mornings are always quiet when Castiel wakes up. The bright-pearl is going to be rising soon, way up in steady-blue high above the waves. That means the day is quickly coming to the trench and to his colony. Even though they can’t see the bright-pearl from their home in the deep, all fin-kin can _feel_ when it rises. It’s not yet the time for the entire colony to wake, but Castiel always gets up early when he is a part of the current sentry rotation.

Truth be told, he would much rather sleep in, but he can only do that when he’s not a part of the sentry shift. Luckily, his rotation off is just another few days away. Once the current rotation is over, he’ll be off shift and it will be beautiful. Castiel will have seven whole days free from one of the most boring tasks that can be given to a warrior of the colony. It’s a process that he isn’t very fond of, but he’s long since come to terms with the fact that there is nothing he can do to change it.

With a yawn, he stretches out in the groove of his sleep-shelf, arching until it’s merely the crown of his head and the point of his tail touching the hard stone. His spine pops in several places and he rumbles a pleased groan in the back of his throat. Castiel takes several deep breaths in through his nose, holding them for a few moments before letting the water rushes out through his gills. Whenever he does that, the sides of his neck tingle.

In the early hours of the morning, before the waking call is sung throughout the trench his colony calls home, Castiel likes to stretch. A sentry needs to be in top form and only the best of warriors are selected to be them. Granted, half the colony is on rotation at one time or another, but everyone always trains hard. The deeps are a cruel place to live in and even though they’re thriving here, the colony still needs to work hard to survive.

Castiel yawns again as he spreads his fingers to stretch the webbing between them. At the same time, he flexes the spines of his back-fans and his side-fans. The ones on either side of his head are far more mobile and he can move them in most directions to catch different sounds in the water or to listen to the return of his echolocation. His back-fans can really only fold against his back or spread up and out in a single direction to help stabilize him when he swims.

Unlike his five older siblings, Castiel is the only one in their nest who has double back-fans. He takes after his mother’s side of the family in that aspect and he prides himself on it, even if the colours of his scales and hair aren’t nearly as bright as most of his siblings. In fact, he takes directly after their mother in many ways. His siblings share more common traits with their father, though they have colouring and patterns that can be traced back through both families.

While he bends and twists himself into various positions, his tail curling and uncurling and his adipose fins rippling along its length, Castiel wonders what his siblings have planned for today. His three oldest brothers - Michael, Lucifer and Gabriel - are all on the Council that helps to maintain order in the colony. Michael is the colony’s leader – a position he inherited from their father.

Being on the Council is a busy job and Castiel rarely gets the chance to see the three of them, though they do their best to be a part of his life. More so than it can be said for father. He was quite the recluse before he disappeared. Castiel doesn’t mind so much that he can’t see them as often as he once did. He still has two other siblings. Anna is his only sister, but Castiel is just as close with her as he is Balthazar. They’re both older than him, but only by a few days – though they never let him forget that he’s the youngest out of their whole nest.

Balthazar is on the same sentry rotation as Castiel, so he’ll be waking up soon too and they’ll get to spend the day together. Anna, however, doesn’t do sentry duty. She refused it when Lucifer tried to assign her the position. It’s too boring for her – and that’s a fact that Castiel will happily agree on. She’s one of the best fighters in the colony, but she can’t hold still. Balthazar is much the same, but he still took the position when it was offered to him. Castiel likes to think that he agreed to be part of the sentry rotation because of him.

With a little concentration, Castiel reaches through the kin-connection to find the minds of his siblings. Anna’s sleep-shelf is on the other side of the trench and Balthazar’s is just a few levels up from Castiel’s. Unsurprisingly, the both of them are still sleeping. He wants to speak to Anna to find out what her plans for the day are going to be. Is she going to go out with the hunters to the fishing grounds? Or will she head to the farms to tend to the crustacean gardens? Maybe she’ll make the half day trek to the flourishing kelp forest and spend a few days out there, controlling the urchin population or harvesting the kelp for their uses and for food.

There’s so much to do when one isn’t stuck on sentry duty and Castiel looks forward to having an entire rotation – _seven whole days_ – free to do as he pleases.

The kin-connection flickers with consciousness and Castiel pauses in his stretching to focus on the wispy tendrils of thought. He narrows the colony-wide channels to the private line that connects him to that one mind. It’s Balthazar and he seems to be waking up. Good. Castiel hates being alone in the morning. His thoughts can take a somewhat melancholy turn when he’s alone and when there’s an upcoming sentry shift looming over him.

 _(Good morning, brother.)_ Castiel prods at Balthazar’s waking mind, trying it help push away the mire of sleep. _(Did you sleep well?)_

Annoyance stings its way through the link between them. _(It could have been better. Especially if **someone** hadn’t woken me sooner than they should have.)_

He smothers a smile and rolls onto his stomach for one final stretch across the length of his sleep-shelf. _(Be grateful I didn’t wake you sooner.)_

 _(Trust me, Cassie, I am **very**_ _grateful you’re not that big of a jerk.)_

Castiel actually laughs as he slaps his tail against the rock and rises from his shelf. His adipose-fins ripple to keep him in place while he pulses his echoes at the stone, doing one last sweep of his area before he leaves it for the day. There are an array of pebbles scattered across the surface of his space. Usually his shelf is kept meticulously clean, but sometimes debris comes loose from the shelves above his or the trench walls and drifts its way down here.

 _(You better wake up quickly. The morning song is going to happen soon.)_ He continues pushing and pulling at Balthazar’s thoughts while he uses the rounded fans at the end of his tail to sweep the pebbles from his shelf. Hopefully they’ll miss the shelves below him. And even if they don't, it's a common danger of choosing to make a sleep-shelf in some of the lowest levels of the colony.

 _(I don’t care.)_ Balthazar’s displeasure with the morning ripples through the kin-connection. _(Michael needs to make a rule about how stupid it is for us to wake up this early.)_

He says that every other day. And even if the Council _did_ vote to make that change, Balthazar would complain no matter what time of day he chooses to wake up. _(If you stop complaining, we can go down and beat the rest of the colony at getting in line for breakfast.)_

Castiel makes the suggestion while retrieving his kelp belt and sword from the corner of his sleep-shelf. The sword is a sturdy metal mined from the walls and caverns of the trench and melted into molds that the smiths carefully lower closer to the magma strip at the bottom of the trench. Their forges are in the very depths of the trench to make the conical swords unique to their colony – to the best of Castiel’s knowledge, that is. He honestly doesn’t know if there are other colonies out there with the same access to forge their own weapons too.

The mention of food might be enough to entice Balthazar from his shelf before the morning song happens. When the hunters return with a particularly bountiful hunt, the fish are caught in tightly woven kelp nets and released into storage. It’s not the best solution, but trapping the fish in caverns they’ve hollowed out in the trench walls is really the only way to make sure that the colony has access to fresh fish whenever they please without needing to go to the fishing grounds for it.

 _(You know me too well, Cassie.)_ Intrigue tickles into Castiel’s mind as Balthazar wakes up quicker. _(I’ll meet you down there. Go save me a place in line.)_

He needs no further prompting. Castiel sends his confirmation into the kin-connection as he twists and arcs over the edge of his shelf in a dive, heading toward the caverns below. Just like the mines, sorting spaces, and rarely used prisons, the food storage is kept lower in the trench. It’s not nearly as far down as where smiths work. That’s as deep down as they can get without being badly affected by the heat from the bubbling magma peeking through the cracks along the bottom of the trench. But all storage is even below the nursery shelves and that requires everyone to dive down for meal time if they’d rather eat there than go look for their own food – which is always an option. It can get a bit crowded if _everyone_ went there to eat.

For anyone on sentry duty, it’s just easier to get food from storage instead of wasting time and energy to hunt their own. Castiel shares in Balthazar’s laziness from time to time and he doesn’t mind swimming down to storage. He likes taking this trip because he gets to see the rest of the colony waking up while he floats downward in wide spirals. Granted, since Castiel’s sleep-shelf is further down than most his age, he doesn’t have that long of a trip.

Along both walls of the trench, there are a few glows beginning to light the dark of the deep. Everyone else is still sleeping and their glows are heavily muted. If their natural glow continued through the night, they would draw all manner of creatures to them during the time when they’re most vulnerable.

The sentry guards are the only ones who glow throughout the night. They are the only ones awake during that time, watching over the colony from their posts. Sentries are spaced evenly along the lip of the trench, including the Council’s auditorium, and down along the edge of where the sleep-shelves end toward the center of the trench. It’s their job to be the first warning against enemy attacks – be it sharks, other fin-kin, or the two-tails who live above the waves.

It’s highly unlikely that it will be either of the latter. Castiel has never seen a two-tails or another breed of fin-kin. The only reason he knows that either actually exists is because they’ve been mentioned in the colony’s songs of history and passed down in memories from keeper to keeper. The keepers are the ones who carry the colony’s histories and they are the ones responsible for teaching each new generation of fin-kin. All on their own, the keepers and elders gather the latest hatchlings and teach them the songs, traditions, and ways of the colony.

Once upon a time, Castiel had entertained the thought of being a keeper, but he enjoys the adrenaline of a good fight far too much to want to spend his time in stuffy caves memorizing songs that are ages older than he is. The caves of the keepers are located at the far end of the trench by the Council’s amphitheater. He would be closer to half his siblings if he spent his days there, but Castiel much rather prefers the open sea. More often than not, he’ll spend his days off duty being a hunter or spending the entire rotation away from the trench with a large group of farmers.

As he thinks about it, Castiel doesn’t bother hiding his thoughts from Balthazar. Listening in on them will help him to wake him up just a little faster – hopefully. That turns out to be pointless. Before Castiel even reaches the opening to the food caverns, the current sentry shift starts to raise their voices in song. He doesn’t hesitate to do the same, joining in the haunting chorus that resonates in both his mind and on the drifting currents.

More voices join in the song as the rest of the colony wakes up too. Castiel opens his mind to the entire colony, listening for his siblings. Anna’s morning greeting comes soon enough, though her thoughts are drowsy. Michael and Lucifer are more awake and wish him a good morning in quick succession of each other. Gabriel, as always, comes last. His thoughts aren’t even fully formed, barely coming together in a groggy acknowledgement. It’s amusing and Castiel doesn’t stop himself from laughing.

Others are coming down to get in line with Castiel and he recognizes several of them as part of the sentry shift. They all grumble unhappily when Balthazar dives down to join them. He elbows his way into place next to Castiel without even an apology to anyone else. A large yawn splits his lips, only visible in the combined glow of everyone there.

 _(I don’t understand how you manage to wake up so early every day.)_ Balthazar grumbles and scratches at his belly. He stretches, sinking momentarily when he doesn’t use his adipose-fins to stay in place. _(This is absurd. We need to speak with Michael about changing these stupid rules.)_

Castiel separates his connection to Balthazar from the rest of the colony so no one else will be able to hear him – effectively making the conversation private. He sighs water through his gills and shakes his head. _(Do you honestly think that will work?)_

 _(Not even slightly.)_ He admits bitterly. _(But I’d like to do it anyways just for the hassle it’ll give him and the rest of the Council.)_

At least Balthazar is comforted in knowing that Castiel feels the same way. In all honesty, Castiel can say that despite the few annoyances like the sentry shift, he is happy with his life. Everything combined with family, friends, and his home makes his life a good one and he loves it. He knows without a doubt that he would never want to change anything about his life. But despite all that, there is something he finds unsatisfying about it.

Maybe it’s the sentry duty that Castiel is unhappy with? Every day feels exactly the same when he is on rotation. It’s so very _boring_ and rarely anything ever happens. It wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t have to do it for seven days in a row. Who even decided that seven days was how long a rotation should be? Why not six? Or five? Or one? Why does it have to be _seven_? Castiel would happily bring the matter to the Council with Balthazar at his side if he wasn’t certain that he would they would both be laughed out of the amphitheater for it.

Rotations and sentry shifts have always been that length for longer than their memories and songs go back. It’s been that way likely since the birth of Mother-sea and it will be that way until Her waters run dry. Their complaints would do nothing to sway the decision of the Council. At best, they might be able to convince them to start talking about changing up sentry duty.

Currently, it is nothing but guarding the lip of the trench for hours on end. The majority of the day is eaten up by it and when Castiel is finally relieved of his shift, he only has a few hours left to his day before the colony collectively decides that it’s time to sleep. The only fin-kin who are usually awake during the night are those on the night time sentry shift. Castiel and Balthazar both count themselves as lucky for having shifts that are during the day. During the night it must be even _more_ boring since they need to be extra watchful and there are far less people to actually talk to.

But any happiness had over having a whole rotation off is always dampened by knowing that he only has another seven days before he has to go _back_. Seven days of freedom and then another seven wasted sitting on a rock and staring out into the ocean both hoping and not hoping that something might happen. This has been his schedule, repeated every rotation, since he came of age several seasons ago. It’s a satisfying existence in most cases, yet Castiel still feels _bored_.

If it were at all possible, he would like to become an explorer. But for that he would need a team of several other fin-kin to go with him and no one else really wants to leave the trench to go much farther than the kelp forest. Going alone would be suicide. Even if Castiel managed to survive any attacks, he would lose his mind to the silence within a rotation or two. It’s common knowledge that without another fin-kin around to make the kin-connection, the silence of one’s own head would be more than anyone could bear.

When they were children, barely older than hatchlings, those from the same breeding season would often play a dangerous game. They would close their minds to everyone and effectively be _alone_ in their own heads for their first time in their life. No one ever lasted very long playing that game. It was too quiet. There’s a comfort to be taken with having the voices of the colony in your head. Castiel likes it because he likes knowing that he’s not alone in the dark of the deeps – even when he can’t see anyone else around him.

 _(Finally!)_ Balthazar calls out to the hunters who arrive to open the caverns. _(We’ve been waiting **forever** you know.)_ The morning song hasn’t even finished yet in some parts of the trench, but Balthazar has always been one for the dramatics.

Neither of the hunters pays him any mind as they slip into the caves. There’s a boulder tucked away against the wall that they’ll push to the side to let out what will hopefully only be a few fish. Those at the front of the line will have to be quick to catch them before they get away. And then the process will repeat itself until everyone has been fed.

Castiel glances back over his shoulder, calling out echoes just to see what the line looks like. There are fin-kin of a variety of ages here today. He recognizes a few as parents who are here to get breakfast for their young ones who aren’t nearly fast enough to catch their own food. No doubt there are a few here as well to catch something for their aging parents who have grown too slow to do it themselves. It’s a sad fact that Castiel will never get to do that for either of his parents.

Mother’s death had been unexpected and sudden. To save a wounded friend, she had fought against a shark and received fatal wounds of her own. She hadn’t lived for much longer after that. Castiel doesn’t know what happened to his father - no one does. His parents had been bond-mates. They had joined their minds through the kin-connection until they were practically one. It’s a life-time commitment and losing one’s bond-mate is the most devastating thing Castiel can imagine ever happening to a person.

He’s been told that when someone loses a bond-mate, it’s like losing a part of themselves. Castiel can’t even begin to understand what it must feel like to lose half your mind. But Father knew. He struggled against the pain for nearly a whole season before he disappeared. One moment he’s excusing himself from a Council meeting to go relieve himself, and the next the entire colony is in an uproar because he hasn’t returned. They never did find him.

Gabriel says that he swam off to end his life without being a burden on everyone else. Castiel doesn’t know if he wants to believe that. But there is no better explanation.

Balthazar must notice the gloomy pall setting over Castiel’s thoughts. He pushes his usual sarcastic cheerfulness through the kin-connection as he bumps their shoulders together. _(I bet I can catch a fish before you do.)_

Castiel shrugs away the sad memories and turns a grin to his brother. _(I accept your challenge. Are we placing a wager on this?)_

 _(Just my pride. I have nothing left to bet with since you won that shine-stone off of me the other day.)_ He sighs loudly and turns towards the cave at the hunter’s announcement that they’re about to let out a few fish. _(Give me a little time to build up a collection again, won’t you?)_

_(I’ll gladly take your pride as reward, then.)_

They share a smile as they bump shoulders again. While they wait for the fish, they both throw echoes at the cave opening, hoping to see the shimmer of scales. Castiel’s side-fans spread wide and tilt forward, receiving each and every echo as it bounces back to him. This is going to be a difficult wager. He and Balthazar are _nearly_ matched when it comes to speed. If pressed, Castiel would have to admit that Balthazar is the faster of the two of them – and that’s something his brother definitely prides himself on. At this point, their little competition will come down to being about agility and reflexes.

A handful of fish come darting out through the opening of the cave and scatter immediately. They’re followed closely by the rumbling sound of the boulder being moved back into place. Castiel hardly notices it. His attention is locked onto one fish and he’s already after it. Balthazar takes off in the other direction and a few others from the line are doing the same. The chase only lasts a few seconds and Castiel sinks his claws into the side of the fish as he catches it.

Victory swells through the kin-connection at the same time, stemming from Balthazar’s mind. It’s quickly followed by a shared amusement. _(It looks like we have a draw, Cassie.)_

 _(So it seems.)_ He smothers a laugh in favour of biting into the still struggling fish. _(I suppose we’re just going to have to have a rematch tomorrow.)_

 _(Of course. I need to at least **try** to win back my collection one of these days.)_ Balthazar’s thoughts take a bitter edge as he drifts into the space next to him, already halfway done with his fish.

Castiel brightens his glow momentarily as he flashes him a smile. _(That’s what happens when you decide to challenge me in a sparring contest. You **know**_ _that I’m better than you both with a sword and with hand to hand combat.)_

A laugh ripples through the water and Balthazar’s single back-fan flexes along his spine. _(Yes, but imagine how popular I would be with the females if I managed to beat the great Castiel in combat! I wouldn’t be able to keep them off of me.)_

Immediately, Castiel’s mood starts to sour again. He knows what’s coming next. Once Balthazar starts talking about females and all forms of relations with them, he’ll inevitably start asking about why Castiel hasn’t settled down yet. According to his brother (and the rest of his siblings), the whole reason Castiel is still a virgin is because he doesn’t want a tryst. Which is partly true. He would much rather prefer an actual relationship over one time flings with any female who shows interest in him.

If Castiel was going to share himself with someone, he knows that he wants it be with someone that he loves. Though he doesn’t believe anything like that will be happening any time soon. No matter how hard he tries to ignore it, Castiel is broken in some way and he knows it. He hasn't felt anything for anyone in the colony, be it romantic or sexual. His body works just fine, he knows that for a fact, but he wishes it would work like everyone else's. Things would be so much easier if he was _normal_.

It's gotten to the point where Castiel has resolved himself to being alone for the rest of his life. At his age, he should have at least mated with someone by now, if not at least have found a nest-mate. But he's done nothing – though not for lack of wanting. Castiel craves companionship. Since he doesn't have a romantic one, he seeks company either in one of his siblings or someone from his garrison. Outside of his family, his closest friends are several members of his garrison that he has trained next to or surpassed in skills over the many seasons that he’s been a warrior.

Despite that, Castiel has only told one person – and it wasn't Balthazar – about his darkest secret. Michael is the only one in his family who knows just how _broken_ Castiel feels. But that was ages ago when he was a child. He doesn't even know if Michael remembers it. And even if he does, does he know that Castiel still feels like that? At least it's a small comfort that he won’t be the first male in the colony to never take a mate, and he certainly won’t be the last. But it bothers him to have a big sleep-shelf all to himself without anyone to share it with. It would be a blessing if he could find himself attracted enough to any female in the colony so he would have someone to share it with.

When it comes to choosing a sleep-shelf, most mated couples will move to a new one instead of sharing their existing ones. Generally, they choose a larger shelf that is closer to the nursery levels. That way, if – or rather _when_ they end up having a nest together, they’ll be able to quickly get to the nursery shelf where they laid their eggs.

That is what should _usually_ happen, but since there are plenty of unused shelves in the colony, it's not much of a problem if one of the hatchlings continues to occupy the shelf they were raised on. In Castiel’s case, he is that hatchling. His sleep-shelf is the same one that he and his nest-siblings had been moved to when they were too old to stay in the nursery but too young to find their own shelves yet.

Those were simpler times. Castiel almost misses sharing a shelf with his siblings and sleeping in a tangled pile of tails and limbs. It was the kind of physical intimacy that he misses having now, even though he likes his independence. Sometimes he thinks that he would like to have his siblings share his shelf with him again. But then Castiel remembers what that would entail and he doesn't think that's something he would actually want.

For starters, the last thing that Castiel wants to deal with is Balthazar or Anna or any of his other siblings bringing other fin-kin to their nest for any sexual escapades they might be having. Mother-sea help him. _That_ is undoubtedly something Castiel isn’t even remotely prepared to deal with. It’s hardly comfortable for him when Balthazar contacts him in the kin-connection to let him know that he has found yet another female he'll be mating with.

Castiel can accept that Balthazar is an attractive male and that there is no requirement that he take a nest-mate to actually _mate_ with someone, but he would prefer not having to hear about it. His family can live their lives as they see fit, but Castiel prefers living his own rather differently. There are others who share his views on wanting a relationship prior to a sexual one, but anyone that he's heard speak of that were older than him and had already found nest-mates. And they at least admitted to having been sexually attracted to someone before.

But Castiel is different. He's never experienced sexual attraction to _anyone_. It’s never happened, not even _once_ , since he hit puberty and it feels terrible. He hates being asked by friends and family alike if a female has caught his eye yet. He hates being asked when he’s going to find himself a mate and settle down. And most of all, he hates when everyone he knows gets caught up in talking about their romantic mates, or their sexual partners, or anyone they might consider as potential prospects.

When did everything start being all about _that_? Why can’t they just live their lives without having to focus on finding someone else to complete something that was never lacking in the first place? Why is he the only one made to feel like he's broken because he doesn't feel the same things they do?

These are the exact reasons why Castiel has thrown himself into his training ever since he hit puberty. He knew that he wasn't like the others. To keep anyone from ever suspecting him, he has done his best to devote his life to being a better warrior so there isn't any reason to doubt _why_ he has been neglecting to search for a mate.

It's still rather early in his life to settle down, but there have been more than a couple fin-kin from his breeding season who have already hatched a nest. They've all found a nest-mate too, though none have made the lifetime commitment of a bond-mate. Castiel is not looking forward to when one of his siblings decides to settle down. That would bring the scrutiny of half the colony down on the rest of their family and he would be subjected to even _more_ questions about why he hasn't found a female yet.

Balthazar claps Castiel on the shoulder and shakes him out of his thoughts. _(Don't worry, Cassie. I know you're jealous of my ways with the females. One of these days, I'll teach you how to be as alluring to our better halves as I am.)_

Castiel's reflection on his hatred for this conversation had been private. It's only Balthazar's ego that is making him translate Castiel's silence into something as ridiculous as jealousy. He rolls his eyes and twists out from under his hand. The tip of his tail twitches out and catches Balthazar in the hip as he beats it to put a little distance between them.

 _(I believe that I'm plenty charismatic without lessons from you, thank you.)_ Perhaps that might be his own ego speaking, but Castiel figures that if he wasn't then he would likely not get along very well with as many people as he does. For one last jab, Castiel teases at the edges of Balthazar's mind through the kin-connection. _(You might actually **damage**_ _my reputation if I took pointers from you.)_

Outrage vibrates along the channels and Balthazar curves forward, throwing himself into his burst of speed to catch up to Castiel. _(You **dare** to besmirch my honour! Those are fighting words, my dear brother. Prepare yourself!)_

Before Castiel can brace himself to be tackled, an orange streak cuts between them and banks sharply to the side to circle around Castiel. _(Boys, boys!)_ Anna's familiar voice pushes its way through the kin-connection and is welcomed into their private conversation. _(Are we already getting all worked up when the day has barely started?)_

The blue of Anna's tail is difficult to see in the dark of the deep, but the feel of her presence is easily recognizable and her distinctive orange glow pattern is impossible to miss. Out of their six siblings, Anna and Michael are the only ones who have that colour. They take after their mother's family in that aspect, though Anna is the only one out of all of them who shares in mother's red hair. Michael and Castiel share their dark hair with their father, while their other three brothers all share lighter hair with their father's family.

Balthazar and Gabriel both have the same yellow and gold scales and glow, though Balthazar has a more mottled pattern to his scales. Lucifer only shares in their yellow glow. His scales are a dappled red, much like Michael's. Out of all their siblings, Michael is the only one that who has an actual pattern on his scales. He has subtle stripes along the sides of his tail and Castiel is a little jealous of it.

Castiel is the only one with solid black scales, but he treasures them nonetheless. They're just like his mother’s scales – just like how he bears her double back-fans. All of his siblings only have the single fan along their spines as their father did. One of the more interesting aspects of their genealogy is that none of them have the same glow pattern on their bodies. There are some parts of the patterns that are similar, but they're very different and Castiel loves it.

He is constantly fascinated by the differences in them despite that they are all born from the same parents in the same nest and within days of each other. He likes seeing all the differences. It would be so boring if the six of them all looked exactly the same. With four to six hatchlings per nest, the colony wouldn't be a living rainbow moving through the trench. It's one of the many reasons why Castiel loves living here.

 _(Cassie insulted my honour.)_ Balthazar whines as Anna swims loops around them both. _(He insinuated that he's more charming than me.)_

Anna's laughter echoes around them and she draws to a sharp stop next to him. She wraps her arms around Balthazar’s shoulders and presses a kiss to his cheek. _(That's because Castiel **is**_ _more charming than you. That's why we have so many female friends asking us to introduce him to them.)_

Oh no. Castiel had hoped that he would avoid this conversation by distracting Balthazar. It's coming full circle again and he doesn't want to be a part of it. _(Anna, we would love to stay and chat, but the sentry guards are waiting to be relieved.)_

She huffs and disapproval whips through the kin-connection at him. _(I barely get to see you during the rotations when you're on shift. Now you're_ trying _to avoid me? I'm insulted.)_

Of course she would use that against him. He sighs and swims forward to embrace her – which is promptly copied by Balthazar, effectively pinning her between the two of them. _(We would never avoid you. But would you like to be the one to explain to the current cranky guards why we’re late? I imagine that they would like to move on with their day.)_

 _(I hate it when you’re right.)_ Anna sighs and drifts the end of her tail against Castiel’s before she does the same to Balthazar.

 _(He does have a gift for it, doesn’t he?)_ Balthazar laughs and breaks away from the hug first. _(We’ll have to catch up in a few days when we’re_ not _boring ourselves to death on sentry duty.)_

Castiel presses a kiss to Anna’s side-fan before he drifts away too, angling himself upward. _(What are your plans for the day?)_

 _(Oh, I don’t know.)_ She flips onto her back and moves her adipose-fins in a lazy roll. _(I’ll do things here or there. Maybe get some training in. Or I’ll go looking for shells and stones. I’ve got a few friends asking about more jewelry.)_

The kin-connection lights up with images of things she plans to make. There are belts, necklaces, and bracelets of various designs. Castiel winces at the anything that requires piercing a hole through the webbing of their side-fans or fingers to thread kelp through. He doesn’t see the point of doing that, especially when the kelp will just rot and fall apart eventually and they’ll need to get new jewelry before the webbing heals.

 _(We’ll keep an eye out for anything up at the lip then.)_ Castiel promises, giving her a wave before he turns his back. _(Have a good day, Anna!)_

_(Behave you two!)_

Balthazar’s amusement tickles into their minds. _(Don’t we always?)_

That actually makes Castiel laugh and he bumps against Balthazar as they swim away. _(You **never** behave.) _ Anna’s agreement seconds the statement.

 _(I’m insulted!)_ He’s not, but Balthazar still allows his false hurt into the kin-connection. _(I’ll have you know that I’m a model citizen of this colony.)_

Anna’s laughter follows them until Balthazar lets the connection with her drop out of false spite. Castiel bids her goodbye once more in Balthazar’s place and she returns the sentiments in kind through the kin-connection before she lets their connection drop too. He can still sense her presence, just as he can most everyone else in the colony who happens to be within range. If Castiel wants to speak to any of them, he needs only to reach out and touch their minds to do it. For now, he’s satisfied having a direct channel with Balthazar. They’re going to be spending the day together anyways – and that certainly helps to alleviate most of the boredom from the sentry duty.

 _(Are you ready for another riveting day of being a glorified lookout, Cassie?)_ Balthazar asks as he adds a burst of speed to catch up.

 _(Not particularly. I’d rather be hunting.)_ He rubs a hand over his face before calling echoes out to see how close they are to the lip of the trench. They’re not too far off yet. Hopefully they’ll be able to get places next to each other.

Grim agreement filters into the connection and Balthazar pushes water through his gills with a sigh. _(Just another few days of this crap and we’ll be free to hunt as we please.)_ It’s nice to know that Castiel isn’t the only one who thinks that sentry duty is the worst. _(If we’re lucky, we might get the chance to spot a shark today!)_

As they crest the lip of the trench, Castiel fills the kin-connection with disapproval. _(We shouldn’t even pretend to wish for such a thing.)_

They pass a few sentry seats where the night shift has already changed over. Balthazar’s disappointment is nearly palpable as they look for two seats next to each other. _(But a shark would spice things up today, don’t you think?)_

 _(It would, but do you remember what happened the last time we saw one?)_ It wasn’t more than a season ago and it wasn’t pretty. Castiel is surprised that Balthazar didn’t think about it.

 _(Of course I remember. We lost Muriel to it.)_ Balthazar’s thoughts turn sad and bitter. It’s always painful to lose a member of the colony, and especially one who was born in the same breeding season. _(And of course, we lost Mother because of a shark.)_

The topic has taken a depressing turn and Castiel lets it drop between them. As they swim, he wishes that he had stopped at one of the other storage caves to get some kelp to snack on. It’s a good filler and would be enough to stop him from wanting to leave his position for a different kind of snack between now and when someone will bring him a meal later on during his shift. If worse comes to worst and he gets too hungry before his next meal, he could always eat his belt. It’s fairly fresh.

He shares the idea with Balthazar and that earns him a laugh. _(Why don’t you just ask Anna to bring you some? She’s still within range and she’s not doing anything yet.)_

Castiel contemplates it, but decides against it. He’s still not quite done the remainder of the fish he’s holding. Once he’s settled in a sentry position, he’ll pick it clean just like he does every fish he eats. Balthazar is already done and the bones were dropped to float to the bottom of the trench without a second thought the moment he was finished.

Another mind brushes against his own with a tired curiosity. Castiel opens the connection to include it with the one he shares with Balthazar. _(Good morning, Uriel. Are you ready for a break?)_

 _(I haven’t been relieved yet.)_ Uriel fills the kin-connection with a mild annoyance. _(I’ve been waiting for you and your chatty brother. Gadreel has the position next to me and I’m making him wait until you two get here. I’m not going to subject any of the other guards to Balthazar’s personality just because the two of you weren’t able to get positions next to each other.)_

Castiel can tell just from the level of Balthazar’s rage that Uriel has blocked him from the kin-connection before he can retaliate with a biting remark of his own. The two have never gotten along and Castiel can’t understand why for the life of him. When Uriel is in a good mood, he’s the funniest warrior in Castiel’s garrison and he’s considered a good friend – even if he makes remarks like this about Balthazar every once in a while.

Since Balthazar is still included in Castiel’s side of the conversation, he makes sure to let a little disapproval tickle the edges of both connections to appease him before he fills the channels with waves of gratitude. _(Thank you, Uriel. We appreciate this. Where are you?)_

He follows Uriel’s directions and within moments, he and Balthazar are relieving him and Gadreel from their posts. Both of them swims off with a tired appreciation lingering in the kin-connection. Balthazar takes up Gadreel’s abandoned position as Castiel settles down where Uriel had been. The sentry spots are marked by specially cut stones that are about half as tall as Castiel is long. Each one is obviously hewn from the walls of the trench and broken into very rough, somewhat cylindrical shapes.

The stones are spaced far enough apart that those on sentry duty are still able to clearly see the glow of their neighbours on either side, but not close enough that they can see details. This allows them to be able to watch in all directions with their echolocation. There is a healthy overlapped section when on the same side of the trench, but in the open space above it, Castiel’s echoes just barely make it to the other edge, but the overlap with the guards on the other side covers it well enough. Even without his echoes, Castiel can still make out the glows of any fin-kin swimming on that side.

It isn't long before everyone who is meant to be on shift checks in. Castiel allows himself to relax when the confirmation is made. He never likes it when they have to decide who will be charged with the task of finding a wayward guard. As one of the few garrison captains on shift, it would fall to one of them. If the fin-kin was a member of his garrison, he would be in charge of finding them - otherwise it becomes a debate of who wants to go looking. Somehow, Castiel has always ended up being the one who does it - though it rarely happens.

 _(Well... Let's get this over with.)_ Balthazar sighs. His thoughts are resigned in a way that makes Castiel feel as though he were preparing to face judgment by the Council instead of just a boring sentry shift.

Luckily, Balthazar has never had to be before the Council’s judgement. They have seen plenty of trials together in the amphitheater at the closest end of the trench, but no one they’ve known personally has ever had the unfortunate luck of sitting on the dais before the Council. Instead, they’ve been sitting on the shelves carved into the amphitheater walls where the entire colony can sit to witness a trial or if they want to watch and be a part of the Council’s discussion with anyone who brings a matter to them.

At the center of the amphitheater is the raised dais where anyone brought before the Council or presenting something to them can sit. It’s situated in front of five pillars of equal height on which the council sits. Michael is in the middle with Lucifer and Gabriel on his left. On his right are the other two members of the council, Raphael and Metatron. They were both members of the Council since before Castiel’s nest started hatching.

Despite that, Michael is still the colony leader and head of the Council. That title is passed down by lineage to the first born and he inherited the position after Father disappeared. Lucifer and Gabriel joined the Council not too long ago when the two elderly females that had been a part of it decided to retire. It’s considered odd that so many members of one nest are on the Council together, but there were very few candidates who wanted the job. Of the ones who did come forward, they were the best and even Raphael and Metatron had to agree on it.

They each play their own role on the Council and it’s worked well for quite a few seasons now. Metatron is one of the keepers and he knows all the laws of the colony. Raphael is a seasoned warrior and he is, essentially, the head of all them. As captain of his own garrison, Castiel actually has to report to him. Michael has the final say in the majority of decisions, while Lucifer plays the part of his advisor – in a sense. He is Michael’s connection to the colony and it’s his duty to bring matters to the Council when anything happens.

Gabriel’s job is one of the most difficult and he complains about it _constantly_. He is the one who has to decide on the punishment – be it imprisonment, banishment, or certain tasks to be carried out by whomever is standing trial for doing wrong. There aren’t very many laws in the colony, but it is taken very seriously when one is broken. Anyone who does that is brought to trial.

Stealing is considered a crime, as is harming a fellow fin-kin or doing anything that might jeopardize the colony in any way. _Killing_ a member of the colony usually results in immediate exile depending on the circumstances. Castiel has never seen anyone get banished before, but there are stories of it having happened before in the colony’s history.

There have certainly be instances of law breaking, but Gabriel isn’t as cruel as he can pretend to be. So far, Castiel has only ever seen him have someone sentenced to doing sentry shift for a few rotations in a row. The very worst punishment he’s given was isolation at a holding cave by the farming fields. It was only for a few days, but they were left practically alone. There was nothing but silence for them every night and they were only permitted to make the kin-connection with one person during the day. Even then, they weren’t supposed to talk to each other.

Castiel doesn’t like to think about having such _silence_ in his head. If given the choice of going mad from being truly alone for the first time ever or death, he’s fairly certain he would pick death. That would be a mercy. Not even touching the minds of sea-giants or dolphins or even a fish would be enough to battle the madness. It’s been said that one can slow the process by doing so, but insanity will always be the outcome no matter what.

This is a bleak topic to think about and Castiel shakes his head to put it out of his mind. He has his shift to focus on now. The colony is depending on him to keep their trench safe, after all. But for as boring as sentry duty is, Castiel often finds that the morning goes rather quickly. It's easy to spend the first few hours completely focused on scrutinizing every difference that returns to him in his echoes. But one can only do that for so long before their mind begins to drift. Castiel's thoughts always turn to what he would rather be doing or he'll carefully plan out everything that he wants to do after the shift and next rotation when he's going to be off duty. But even that can only keep him entertained for so long.

Sometimes he likes to while away the time with his imagination. There are often times when he’s wondered what it would be like to swim to the surface. The closest he’s ever been to it is while swimming through the kelp forest. Not once has he ever broken the surface and felt what it’s like to touch the empty space above the water. And he’s never seen a two-tails, even though he’s seen their floating reefs that churn the sea with spinning blades. He’s even seen from a distance the woven metal hands that the two-tails drop into the ocean to catch fish.

As much as he wants to see and learn and experience all those things, Castiel knows that he’s not nearly brave enough to do anything that would risk him being seen. If he was ever seen by a two-tails, the entire colony would have to move to continue living in secret from them. There are terrible stories from bygone times when the two-tails knew about fin-kin. So many fin-kin died during those times for reasons that their stories don’t have answers to, but it’s enough for them to want to stay hidden. It’s safer and they can live happier without having to worry about losing someone to the dangers of the ocean _and_ the creatures that live on land.

Maybe, if he ever truly gets sick of how things are, then Castiel might put actual effort into trying to gather an exploration party. He doesn't exactly count the groups that will go out and patrol the colony's entire territory as _explorers_. They haven't found anything new since long before he was born. They don't _learn_ anything. All they search for is anything that might be considered a threat to the colony. What Castiel craves is something _new_.

He wants to see the exciting world that’s happening _outside_ of their territory. The ocean is so big and full of life and they know so little about it. Castiel may love his family, his colony, and his home; he may love his life here, but he can’t help thinking that all of this is – well, it’s a little boring. And that is a scary thought all on its own. Castiel finds _peace_ boring. His colony has an overabundance of food and resources, and they are _thriving_ in their home here. There’s so much space in the trench that they aren’t even taking up a whole half of it. The colony is living in an age of prosperity and he feels terrible with thinking that he’s _bored_ of it.

Thoughts like that form a heavy, guilty weight in his belly. This is a danger of being left alone to his thoughts for too long. Sometimes it does nothing but worsen his mood. At least he can be thankful that he has his favourite brother here. Balthazar always notices when there is a slight shift in Castiel's disposition. Often he will wait a short while to make sure that Castiel isn't just momentarily thinking of something upsetting. If it persists – much as this one seems to be doing – he will intervene.

Balthazar chooses now to do that and he tugs at Castiel’s mind through the kin-connection. _(Oi, Cassie.)_ He barely waits until he’s been acknowledged before he starts talking again. _(There’s a small school of fish just ahead of us.)_

Castiel calls out his echoes and confirms it. They’re well above their heads, but the fish are definitely there. Luckily, it’s a non-violent species and they pose no threat. But with how close they are to the trench, those fish could be in danger of being eaten. _(Do you think we should notify the hunters?)_

He doesn’t need to see Balthazar shake his head to know he’s done it. The feeling of his gesture is translated into a negative response through the kin-connection. _(Those lucky bastards have already left for the hunting grounds. They’re in the market for something a bit bigger than these snacks.)_

That’s an interesting choice of words and Castiel highlights the term through their link. _(You want to get something to eat, don’t you?)_ Lunch isn’t too far off, but it’s not surprising that Balthazar is already hungry. He’s like a bottomless pit sometimes – especially when he’s bored.

 _(Yes, Cassie, yes I do.)_ The kin-connection fills with his wanting.

Castiel sighs and pushes off his rock. _(Go. I’ll cover for you.)_

With a lazy flick of his tail, he moves out to a position roughly halfway between their two locations and stays floating just above the rocky sand. Balthazar fills the kin-connection with gratitude and heads off after the school. He leaves with a burst of speed, but slows quickly when he gets near them. It would be bad if he disturbed the water too much and scared the fish off before he could reach them. If he’s lucky and doesn’t move too much, his glow might be enough to attract them and he won’t have much of a chase to catch one.

The entire thing is carried out in the reflections of Castiel’s echoes. He keeps a close eye on Balthazar’s short hunt even while making sure that he’s looking out for any possible threats. Sadly, this might actually end up being the highlight of this shift – and it’s not even lunch yet. The rest of the day will be as boring as the morning has unless Balthazar does anything to be amusing.

Castiel can only hope that Balthazar’s own levels of boredom will have reached the point that he doesn't want to focus entirely on just keeping look out anymore. If Castiel didn't have him, he's fairly certain that he never would have been able to tolerate an entire rotation of such a long and profoundly _boring_ shift like the sentry duty - even if he does have the option to contact nearly anyone else in the colony for a conversation if he wants, and if they're in range.

But despite his numerous friends and his handful of siblings, Castiel finds that he doesn't actually spend very much time with anyone. Certainly, the most time that he spends is with Anna and Balthazar. If Gabriel, Michael, or Lucifer had the time then he would like to enjoy their company too. The only time he really spends with his friends is during training. Even though he likes to spend some of the free time that he has off shift to work around the colony at various tasks, most of his free time is actually spent at the training fields. If he's practicing sparring and grappling, he can better himself and be the best warrior he can be.

Too bad he still has another few days before he'll be able to get back to that. There just isn't enough time left in the day after his sentry shift to go and get some proper training in. He's looking forward to having the time off and getting to do something else for a change. As if he hasn't thought that enough today, Castiel _really_ dislikes the several days in a row of being on shift.

Bless Balthazar and his ability to be the best distraction ever. He fills Castiel's head with satisfaction as he circles down from the scattered school above. _(I caught one, Cassie!)_ But that's not all he has to say. There's the urge to say more pushing against the kin-connection and he doesn't say it until Castiel lets his own pride into the link. _(And, because I'm the very best brother there is, I even caught you something too.)_

With a flourish, he holds another fish out and all his fans flare with how pleased he is. Castiel laughs and takes the fish as he fills the kin-connection with his delighted gratitude. _(Yes, you are the best of brothers. Thank you.)_

It's not the biggest of fish, but it's plenty enough for a snack. They both return to their posts to eat, but Balthazar is far from being done talking. _(I hope you’re aware that you’ve been doing that depressing thing all morning again, Cassie.)_

He knows that his thoughts have not been the cheeriest this morning, but Castiel doesn't like having that pointed out. It only makes Balthazar worry about him. _(No, I haven’t.)_

 _(Yes, you have.)_ There's so much conviction in his statement that Castiel can't even refute it. _(You've been sitting there being mopey all morning and I know exactly what your problem is. You, my sweet little brother, need to find yourself a good hobby.)_

Castiel rolls his eyes and carefully nibbles the meat from a bone. _(I have more than enough to do with surviving and helping the colony each day.)_

The channels of their private link quickly fill with disapproval. _(You know what I mean, Cassie. You never do anything just for yourself. You need a hobby so you can **unwind** every once in a while.)_ Before Castiel can ask what he would suggest he do, Balthazar gives the answer. _(Kind of like how Anna collects shells and stones to make jewelry. Or how Gabriel has his own farm of sweet snails.)_

At the mention of doing either of those things, Castiel’s nose crinkles. _(I have no interest in doing either, thank you. If I liked farming, I would be doing it every time I’m not on the active shift.)_ As it stands, he might spend _one_ of his days off doing it, if at all. There are plenty of other things to do, but nothing really makes Castiel feel all that excited to do it.

Exasperation is slowly starting to creep along the edges of Balthazar’s mind. _(Well, why don’t you try doing what I do?)_

_(Which is?)_

_(I make nice with the females.)_ Pride laces his words.

Castiel sighs and the tip of his tail flexes where its curled against the rock. Would it be too much to ask for _one day_ when this topic isn’t brought up? _(I have no interest in doing that either.)_

Now a shivering line of disappointment is threaded into Balthazar’s frustration. _(You’re going to make the females cry if they ever heard you say that. I’ll have you know that they think you’re quite the catch.)_ Moments later, his curiosity comes crashing through the kin-connection with concern swirling through it. _(When are you going to settle down?)_

No. He refuses to have this conversation. _(I could say the same to you.)_ Maybe if Castiel can turn this around on him and make him uncomfortable, Balthazar will let the topic drop. _(How come **you**_ _haven’t settled with any of the females you’ve mated with?)_

His back-fans flex with a smug satisfaction when the edges of Balthazar’s response are trembling with annoyance. For as much as Castiel hates being asked why he hasn’t shown any interest in anyone, Balthazar hates it just as much when he’s asked if he’ll settle down. _(I’m far too free-spirited to be bound to one female, Cassie, you know that. **You** on the other hand –)_

Oh, he had been _so close_ to getting out of this. Castiel sighs and cuts Balthazar’s thoughts off before they’re finished. _(Can we discuss something else, please?)_ There’s a near infinite list of other topics they could have a conversation about that don’t end up making him want to take a nose dive straight to the bottom of the trench.

Balthazar brushes his request off with a vindictive and slightly terrifying glee. _(You just need to find the right female, little brother.)_ This is quite obviously his revenge for Castiel trying to turn the conversation on him. _(Maybe I should start introducing you to the single females from the breeding seasons that were ahead or after us?)_

Mother-sea, help him. Is he never going to escape this torture? _(Balthazar. **Please**_. _)_

His plea is blessedly met with resignation, but it’s heavily lined with irritation. _(Fine, fine.)_

When Castiel glances over towards Balthazar’s rock, he can see his glow circling it. He’s restless and it’s making the kin-connection itch. _(I think you’re the one who’s having trouble settling down now.)_ Balthazar’s disposition always worsens the closer they get to the end of the rotation.

 _(That’s because this takes **far**_ _too long, Cassie. If this is what I’m supposed to do for the rest of my days, I’m going to go mad.)_ The pattern on his tail is a blur in the distance as Balthazar whips it furiously to turn sharply around the rock.

Ah, this is what Castiel thought of earlier. _(I know. It’s unfortunate that the shift rotation is a whole seven days.)_ The amount of days is and always will be ridiculous. _(At least we’re only on duty for half the day. You can calm down now.)_

That does nothing to alleviate Balthazar’s irritation. If anything, it doubles. _(Half the hours of a **whole**_ _day, Cassie. That’s including the hours that we sleep. If we’re counting the hours that we’re awake, a shift is practically our **whole**_ _day. It’s unfair and I **know** we’re not the only ones who think it.)_ All at once, his irate burn leaves the kin-connection. _(I need to use up some energy. Spar with me.)_

It’s a tempting offer, but he has to decline. _(We’re not supposed to spar on duty.)_

Balthazar’s groan would be audible if they were close enough, but Castiel only gets its equivalent through their link. _(Spoil sport.)_ After a beat of silence, he offers another option. _(How about a game?)_

Now that is something that sounds interesting. _(Like what?)_

Unfortunately, Balthazar doesn’t have a prepared answer. It takes him a short while to think of something. _(What about if I think of a number and you have to guess it?)_

 _(That’s boring.)_ And it’s hardly a game. _(What if we tell a story together? I’ll say something, then you say something that follows, and we’ll go back and forth like that?)_

_(Dear Mother-sea, Cassie, that’s even more boring than the number thing.)_

Water pushes through his gills in a slow sigh and makes the sides of his neck tingle. _(Well, maybe if you could actually think of something **fun** then we wouldn’t be in this position.)_

Even from where he’s sitting at this distance, Castiel can actually hear Balthazar’s laughter on the current. His amusement dances through the kin-connection as he brushes against Castiel’s mind with a fond touch. _(You’re my favourite brother, Cassie.)_

He accepts the compliment with a carefully controlled burst of gratitude. Castiel places walls around the rest of his emotions to keep Balthazar from knowing immediately that the sentiment is returned in kind. With his fingers, Castiel counts the seconds that pass before he gets an annoyed jab at the walls.

 _( **Castiel**_. _)_

After another few moments of silence, Castiel relents and lets the walls drops so Balthazar can feel how fond he is of him. _(You’re my favourite brother too, Balthazar.)_

Satisfaction slips through the kin-connection and curls along the edges of Castiel’s mind. It makes him smile and he tilts his head back to look up at the dark above them. He can’t even see the light from the bright-pearl from down here.

 _(I’m thinking of a number between one and a hundred. You have three guesses you can make. If none of them are within five numbers, you have to give an anemone to –)_ He pauses to think of someone. _(To Raziel.)_ She’s one of the oldest members of the colony and a former Council member before she retired. Giving an anemone to her could either be seen as sweet, or embarrassing. How many people would think that Balthazar was starting to court her?

Balthazar’s scandalized horror flares through their link and it only serves to make Castiel’s smile grow even wider. _(Fine. But if I **do** guess it, then you give me back the last shine-stone I lost to you.)_

_(Deal.)_

It’s not the most fun of games, but it will help to make time pass. The sentry shifts are tedious and every day might feel too similar to the last, but maybe things aren’t _that_ boring here. Castiel has his health, his family, his colony, and plenty of food for everyone. Things are peaceful and he should be satisfied with that. And he _is_ in a sense. There’s just one thing lingering in the hidden, private recesses of his mind that even he doesn’t want to admit to himself.

Castiel is _lonely_. His family and his friends can’t provide him with the kind of companionship that he wants. And, to be honest, Castiel isn’t even sure what he really wants. Someone who is more than a friend, but would still be considered family. He wants a mate; someone to love and someone who will love him. But Castiel isn’t sure there’s anyone here in the colony who can give that to him.

He has looked, but no one catches his attention. Even if they did, he doubts he would even know what to do once he’s found someone like that. Would he even be able to recognize those kinds of feelings? Or is he too broken for that?

While Balthazar carefully thinks over his answers, Castiel closes off that worried part of his mind. Everything in his life is as it should be and he doesn’t _need_ anyone to complete something that isn’t broken. He is _happy_ with his life and he needs to remember that.

Now, if only he could stop feeling like there was something _missing_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna’s agreement burns through the kin-connection brightly and she swims an excited circle around him. _(That’s exactly what I was thinking!)_
> 
>  _(Reign it in a little, you two.)_ Gabriel chides them, but his words are ringed with amusement. _(How about we actually wait until the hunters tell us everything before we **really** make a decision, hm? If they’re being truthful, we’ll know.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar) | ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin)

Castiel pauses next to one of the miners. Her own bright glow is lighting the wall she’s working on in the cavern and he watches her chip away at the stone carefully. While he can’t really tell the difference between the metal ore and regular rock, the miners are specially trained to see it in the light of their glows. Echoes are nearly useless in determining the difference between the two. Besides that, the vibrations of their tools mess up the echoes.

The smiths use the ores the miners find to make the curved hand tools they use, as well as the swords the warriors have. Anything with a simple shape is made by lowering rock molds on thick poles carved from even more rock toward the magma below. Each mold is packed tightly with cleaned ore and it stays down there until the metal has melted. It’s drawn back up and allowed to cool before the mold is pulled apart to sharpen the tools and weapons.

Out of all the jobs to do in the colony, the smiths probably work the least often. Even the miners don’t work constantly. Once the store holds for the ores get filled up, the miners take a well-deserved break. The smiths do the same. They only make tools and weapons until there is no more room for either in the storage caves. The miners go through their tools much faster than the warriors go through swords – each being used until it breaks. When the stores get down to a certain amount left, the smiths get right back to work again. In the meantime, they do other jobs around the colony just like the warriors.

If Castiel was at all interested in being a smith or a miner, he would be able to tell the difference between ore and regular rock, and he would have a better understanding of the process the smiths use. He only knows the basics from mild curiosity and conversations had with some of the smiths. At the moment, the smiths aren’t working and the ore storage is about halfway full. Castiel is plenty happy with just gathering the chunks of ore the miners chip off the walls and separate from the regular rock for him. It’s his job to take it to the storage caverns where older miners who aren’t as strong as they used to be sort the ore by size and whatever else it is they sort by.

After a few moments of watching her work, Castiel reaches out through the kin-connection to touch the mind of the miner next him. _(Do you have anything for me to take?)_

 _(Sure do.)_ She gestures one hand to a pile next to her and shares an image of it in their link. _(Those are all ready to go if you can take them all.)_

Luckily, Castiel can. He has a bag made of fish skin that has been carefully knit together using kelp and fish bones. Most fin-kin just eat a fish whole, but there’s a group that like to skin their meals first so they can make bags for gathering and to use in the mines. These bags are tougher and last longer than anything woven from kelp. The colony doesn’t have many of the fish skin bags because the skin is one of the more delicious parts of a fish. It gives them a nice texture too and Castiel would hate to skin it first just to make a silly bag.

With the bag filled to bursting and balanced on his back between his fans, Castiel gathers the few remaining in his arms and carefully makes his way out of the mines. He remains horizontal on his belly and allows himself to sink to the storage areas below, located partway between the mines and where the smiths work. When he’s close, Castiel dips slightly to angle his way into the storage caverns where the sorters are waiting for him.

He is greeted with a smile and a laugh as they pull the bag from his back. _(If you keep bringing back hauls this big, the others won’t have anything to do.)_

Castiel shrugs and hands off the ones in his arms to someone else. _(These bags are extremely helpful. You barely need half the volunteers you have because of them.)_

The sorter’s amusement dances through the kin-connection. _(Half of them don’t even bother with the bags. If you keep it up, you’ll stop using them again just so you’ll take longer.)_

That’s fairly understandable and Castiel declines the bag when it’s offered to him again. _(Actually, I think I’m going to go to the training fields now. I like to train at least once a day and I haven’t gone yet. I need to keep my skills up.)_

 _(I’m sure we’ll manage without you.)_ Gratitude sings along the words as the sorter gestures for Castiel to leave. _(Go have some fun for once.)_

He wouldn’t exactly call training _fun_ , but it does make time pass by rather quickly. Castiel gives his goodbyes to the sorters before he slips from the cavern. As he passes the miner’s caves, he touches a few minds of those he had spoken to so that they’ll know he won’t be returning. Their thanks are brief and Castiel lets the connections with them fade into the usual background noise of the minds from the rest of the colony.

The training fields are a sandy area not far from the trench and it is the warrior’s duty to ensure that there are no rocks in the sand. Boulders of various sizes ring the area to mark its boundaries. It’s well outside of the sentry’s scope of view, with or without echoes, but it’s fine. The only fin-kin who go there are the ones who are more than capable of taking care of themselves should anything dangerous come along. The sentries only protect the trench where they make their homes and where the hatchlings and elders live in safety.

Castiel is looking forward to the chance to get to stretch his muscles in a good sparring match. He hasn’t made up his mind yet if he wants to work on his grappling or his swordsmanship, but they’re both good options for him to choose from. There’s plenty of time left in the day to do both, but he likes to know what he’s going to do before he actually gets to the training grounds. That makes it easier to find a partner to spar with.

He never does make it to the training field that day.

Before Castiel has even reached the lip of the trench, the colony’s kin-connection lights up with excitement. It vibrates from mind to mind until everyone within Castiel’s reach is brimming with it. There’s a healthy dose of curiosity intertwined with it as more fin-kin come into range and join in. Some are beginning to get confused too. Who is the source and why is it spreading? Castiel deviates from his course so he can find out.

Anna touches his mind first and her thoughts are nearly singing with her own excitement. _(Have you heard? Have you **heard**?)_

 _(Heard **what**?) _ Castiel asks, letting her feel his confusion. There are so many voices in the kin-connection right now that he needs to filter most of them out or he can hardly think. He can’t make sense of the excited chatter when it blends together like that and only the emotions are truly are reaching him.

He isn’t expecting Anna to come careening out of the darkness to his left. Her glow is just about the only thing that he notices and he barely ducks out of her way in time. She must be in a hurry if she’s not even bothering to use her echoes to make sure that no one is in her way. He quickly discards that though when she stops and turns around. She can’t be in that much of a rush if she’s doing that.

 _(The hunters are back!)_ Each word is practically trembling and Castiel can’t figure out why, but he still allows Anna to grab his wrist to pull him after her.

 _(Did they catch a sea-giant?)_ It’s rare to find those giant, singing beasts not only this deep, but actually alone enough for a group of hunters to manage to kill one and bring it to the trench without facing any scavengers who want a taste.

Anna shakes her head and she doesn’t let go of Castiel’s wrist even though he’s swimming alongside her now. _(Even better than that!)_

He pulses curiosity at her until she gives the whole story, her thoughts annoyed that she has to explain at all. _(I had to go to my shelf to drop off the shells that I was digging up when the hunters came within range.)_ The annoyed edge melts away into her excitement again. _(They barely caught anything because they saw something **new** , Castiel!)_

His heart skips a beat and he increases his speed to start pulling ahead of her. _(What was it?)_ Something new! Something unusual and different and he can hardly contain his own excitement now. What could it be? Is it a new fish? A new sea-giant? A kind of shark they’ve never seen? He doesn’t dare let himself hope that it might be –

 _(Another fin-kin!)_ Anna completes his thoughts with ones of her own. They’re thin and barely there, as if she can hardly believe it herself. _(They saw a **different breed** swimming just outside of our territory!)_

The colony’s territory ends just on the other side of the area that they’ve designated as the hunting grounds. If the hunters really _did_ see another fin-kin, it wouldn’t be a big assumption to think that perhaps they were out hunting themselves. But that is hardly the interesting part. _Another fin-kin_. If the hunters really did see one, what will this mean for their colony? Will things change or are the other fin-kin merely passing through the area? Is it a small group or a whole colony? It can't be an _individual_ can it? Are they able to withstand the silence of not having the kin-connection?

Castiel has a million questions stirring up in his mind and Anna must be able to sense them. She tugs at his wrist and her amusement dances along the link between them. _(Calm down. You'll get your answers soon enough. The hunters aren't even back yet.)_

_(But you said -)_

_(They were calling ahead when I heard them.)_ She shrugs in the light of their combined glows. _(I'm the one who came back and told the sentries. Well, me and whoever else might have heard them. I also came back to tell the Council. I don’t think they’re as happy about this as you are.)_

He's not surprised. The Council doesn't like change. Metatron is stuck in his old ways and Raphael is merely stubborn. Lucifer is kind of the same and Gabriel doesn't care enough to want to change anything. Michael is certainly more lenient, but he is also of the belief that if things are working and the majority of the colony is happy, then things don't really have to change. In his brothers' seasons on the Council, the most that they've changed is pushing back the borders of their territory a little more when a new cave had been discovered that was perfect for farming smaller crustaceans and snails.

Now Castiel is worried. He doesn't want the Council to decide not to welcome the new fin-kin. What if they choose to send them away and refuse them access to this area? If they do that, Castiel will be denied so many things. He might never get the chance to learn about what lies beyond their territory. If this is a new colony, he can only imagine the stories they have to tell. Where have they been? What have they seen? Are they nomads or did something happen to their previous home that made them have to leave? How long have they been traveling? Have they seen other breeds too?

There are so many questions and Castiel can only hope that he'll actually be allowed to find out the answers to them.

 _(Have you seen or heard from Balthazar yet?)_ He turns his thoughts to his brother, hoping to distract from the torrent of questions. Balthazar had decided to spend the day chasing tails in hopes of luring a female back to his shelf.

 _(Not yet. I've been searching the kin-connection for him, though.)_ Anna turns her head, squinting at the glows dimpling the dark.

Half the colony is already gathered at the lip of the trench and more are arriving with each passing moment. Soon the whole area will be bright with their combined glows and echoes will be completely unnecessary. There are plenty of yellow glows amongst those gathered and Castiel tries picking out the pattern that matches Balthazar's. So far, he hasn't spotted him and it's hard to sort through all the voices in his head to find the one that belongs to his brother.

_(There he is!)_

Castiel turns to look in the direction Anna is pointing in. Rising from the direction of the sleep-shelves is their brother. No sooner has Castiel spotted him does he feel the familiar touch of his thoughts. It's always easier to find someone and connect with them when you can see them.

 _(Is it true?)_ Balthazar asks before he even reaches them, disbelief thick around his words.

 _(It sounded true.)_ Anna nods excitedly. She's the only one between the three of them who actually heard the original message. _(I can say for certain that they were definitely not faking their excitement.)_

Well, that's something at least. It's nearly impossible to lie in the kin-connection. Anyone and everyone can sense when false thoughts are shared. The only way to stop that is to separate your emotions from your words, but doing that is a telltale sign that someone is lying. That being said, if Anna believes them, then Castiel believes them too. He can only hope that it doesn't turn out to be a lie.

 _(Have you seen the Council, yet?)_ Balthazar swims a circle around them before he comes to a stop. He's not nearly as excited as Anna and Castiel are, but he has a fair amount of it too. _(I haven't heard anything about them yet.)_

Every time the colony gathers, whether it be in the middle of the trench or at the Council's auditorium, the three of them always try to sit together. If they can, they do their best to get as close to their siblings on the Council as possible. Being around each other helps keep them all calm and it's extremely comforting to have during times of discord. That might not be the feeling had right now, but Castiel would still like to be by Michael and the others when they get here.

 _(Best bet is that they're going to be in the thick of things.)_ Anna points out, gesturing toward the center of the gathered colony. _(If I were the hunters, that's where I would go to find them.)_

 _(Well then! What are we waiting for?)_ Balthazar’s enthusiasm increases slightly as he beats his tail and swims forward sharply. He slips into the gathered crowd easily, weaving between the fin-kin as they all spread out in a loosely clustered sphere.

To Castiel’s great relief and to Anna’s delight, the Council is exactly where she thought they would be. The crowd formed by the colony has parted in front of them, waiting for the hunters. Their glow can be seen in the distance and they’ll be here within moments. Castiel reaches out to touch their minds, just to feel their excitement. It’s nearly blinding. There is a constant stream of thought flowing straight into the colony’s kin-connection and it is only one thing: _new fin-kin_.

Another three minds touch his own and it catches him off guard, his side-fans and back-fans snapping out in surprise. Now his entire family is convening in a private channel in the kin-connection and they’re all trying to talk at once.

 _(Do you believe it?)_ This time Balthazar is posing the question to their older brothers. His attention is focused on where Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are floating with their backs to them.

The moment Lucifer speaks, Castiel knows that he has doubts. The skepticism surrounds each word. _(About other fin-kin?)_

Balthazar’s side-fans twitch out with his shrug. _(It can’t be, right? We’ve never actually **seen** another fin-kin since well before our grandparents’ times.)_

 _(We wouldn’t know that other breeds exist if we had never seen them before.)_ Michael reminds him with a gentle rebuff through the kin-connection. _(It may have been more seasons than we can count since our colony has heard from another one, but other breeds **do** live throughout the oceans. We’re not the only ones of our kind down here.)_

Castiel takes a deep breath and holds it for a moment, sealing his gills against his neck. _(I believe it.)_ He lets the water out with a whoosh, fully aware that he just shocked his entire family with that one statement. All attention turns to him and Castiel does his best not to twist his adipose-fin between his fingers in a nervous fidget. _(No sane fin-kin would claim that they saw another breed when they didn’t. It would invite the scorn of the entire colony. And it isn’t just **one** hunter claiming it, is it? It’s **all** of them.)_

The only thing that he holds back from the kin-connection is just how badly that he wants this to be true. He hides from his brothers and sister all the many questions rattling through his mind right now, though he does allow them to feel his curiosity. That much is natural, right? Castiel isn’t the only member of the colony who is curious about whether or not new fin-kin have really been seen. It’s not too strange for him to feel like that. But maybe it _would_ be odd for him to have this desire – this _yearning_ for more than what he knows.

Anna’s agreement burns through the kin-connection brightly and she swims an excited circle around him. _(That’s exactly what I was thinking!)_

 _(Reign it in a little, you two.)_ Gabriel chides them, but his words are ringed with amusement. _(How about we actually wait until the hunters tell us everything before we **really** make a decision, hm? If they’re being truthful, we’ll know.)_

While they wait for the hunters to arrive, Anna grabs Castiel’s hand and squeezes it tightly. She’s trembling and Castiel can only hope that she’s excited for the same reasons as he is. He knows that she has been feeling constrained by the colony too, but he isn’t sure if it’s to the same extent as him. Anna is certainly more vocal about it, which is why she refuses to do most of the more permanent jobs that the Council offers to her – like sentry duty.

Speaking of the sentries, they’re the only ones who _aren’t_ actually present. They can only view what’s happening through the eyes of the gathered colony. Castiel can feel their jealousy as a low hum in the kin-connection. It’s unfortunate that they need to stay at their positions while the rest of the colony gets to partake in this exciting moment. After all, it could very well be a turning point for their history.

Once the hunters are finally before the Council, the colony closes behind them and forms a glowing sphere to watch from all angles. Castiel is gripping Anna’s hand tighter than before now that a hush has fallen over everyone. Their curiosity and anticipation is a constant through the kin-connection, but no one is speaking. Everyone is waiting to hear what the hunters have to say – as soon as they’ve stopped gasping water through their gills, of course.

 _(Catch your breath.)_ Michael tells them, broadcasting his thoughts to the whole colony. There will be very little about his discussion with them that will be held from everyone. _(You swam as fast as you could to bring as this news. We can wait a little while longer before you share your memories with us.)_

Castiel’s heart rate increases and it’s pounding painfully against his ribs. Michael wants the hunters to share their _memories_? Does he mean that just for the Council, or will the whole colony be allowed to see what they saw? He wants so badly to be a part of it and he’s not sure he can wait to find out. Just to be safe, he singles Michael’s mind out from everyone else’s and lets his worry brush against his thoughts.

Amusement pushes back at him through their private link. _(Don’t worry, Castiel. Raphael objects to it, but the entire colony already knows about this. Can you imagine the outrage if we actually tried to hide anything from them?)_

Honestly? He can’t. That would just be insane. The only fin-kin who have no idea what’s happening right now are those who are at the kelp forest or tending the crustacean farms. As soon as the hunters give their report, Castiel doesn’t doubt that someone will rush off to tell them.

When the hunters have finally calmed themselves, one of them swims forward. Castiel recognizes him as Samandriel, a younger warrior from another garrison. He’s from the breeding season after Castiel’s and that’s roughly ten seasons of difference between them, but he’s been a strong fighter nonetheless. Samandriel often asks to spar if they happen to be at the training fields at the same time. Whenever they speak, Castiel is always pleased by the sense of awe in Samandriel’s thoughts. It’s not as though he’s done much in his life to earn such admiration. But apparently many of those younger than him are impressed by how hard he trains and how quickly he’s risen through the ranks as warrior.

 _(I saw them first, sir.)_ Samandriel recounts, his thoughts nervous while he opens his most recent memories for the entire colony to watch.

A chill sweeps down Castiel’s spine as he closes his eyes and focuses on the images playing out through the kin-connection. He draws the memory into his own mind and watches it as though he were the one who had seen it. That shiver chasing through his bones only grows stronger and tingles across his ribs. At first, the shape on the distant edges of the echoes looks like nothing more than a shark – something that wouldn’t be out of place for this area. Castiel has seen plenty of this breed in these waters.

Castiel is almost disappointed – until he notices the rest of the body. From the shark’s waist and upward, it is the body of a fin-kin though it is exceptionally different from Castiel’s. Instead of a foldable back-fan like the members of his colony, this new fin-kin appears to have the solid back-fin of a shark. It’s hard to tell in the blurry images of distant echoes that don’t even belong to him, but Castiel thinks he sees the same kind of hard fin jutting out and curving back from just below the fin-kin’s elbows. He would also feel confident in saying that this fin-kin is a male.

The one swimming next to him, however, looks like a female. Castiel doesn’t want to assume anything, but he thinks the naked breasts are a dead giveaway. That can, however, be a fault of the echoes. They’re never completely accurate and especially from a distance. But Castiel is too excited to care about gender. These are another breed of fin-kin! Shark-like in appearance, but another fin-kin nonetheless. Every memory is singing with truth and Castiel has _never_ been so excited.

Each hunter comes forward, one after the other, to share their memories. Through their eyes, Castiel watches the two new fin-kin swimming together just outside of the colony borders. They glide through the water with such ease that it looks like they’re barely disturbing the area around them. Their tails move from side to side just like a shark – as opposed to Castiel’s colony’s tails which require an up-down motion to make any use of their end-fans. His tail is capable of twisting and curling with the flexibility of a sea snake, but do these new fin-kin have the same flexibility? An itch forms under Castiel’s skin with the desire to know _everything_ about them.

For one moment, the colony shares a single gasp during the last of the echo memories. Unexpectedly, the male twists and moves sharply to reach out and snatch a passing fish. He offers it to the female swimming next to him, but she simply turns away, veering off to disappear beyond the range of the echoes. The male follows shortly and the memories end there. As far as Castiel can tell, the other fin-kin never even noticed the hunters, but there’s no way of telling for sure if that’s true or not.

By the time the last hunter withdraws her memories, Castiel’s excitement is making him shiver. All of his fins are twitching with adrenaline and he replays the images over and over in his mind. A fin-kin like a _shark_. It’s so intriguing! Do they share other aspects with sharks? Do their bodies vary in any way like the colours and patterns of his own colony? What do they call themselves? Castiel has always been told that his colony was once referred to as _bright-fin_ because they have their own natural glow – just like many species of fish that live down in the deeps.

He’s so excited and so many more questions are spawned just from these few glimpses that Castiel can hardly contain them all. Anna is brimming with her own excitement and she’s squeezing his hand almost as tightly as he is. In fact, the entire colony is seething with their curiosity. Everyone wants to know more about the new fin-kin and Castiel can only hope that this will influence the Council’s decision on how to act. The last thing he wants is for them to decide to chase off an entirely new colony – and one that looks so very different from them, at that.

Castiel can’t hold back from saying nothing and he takes hold of all of his siblings’ minds, twining them together into a private connection between the six of them. _(Can you even imagine about what they could teach us?)_

 _(It’s certainly something to keep under consideration.)_ Lucifer muses. Even _he_ is intrigued, though he’s doing his best to hide most of it from the kin-connection.

Gabriel stretches and runs a hand through his hair. _(This sucks. Now we’re going to have to have some kind of dumb meeting about this, aren’t we? How long do you think that’s going to take?)_

 _(What do you need to meet about?)_ Anna probes all of their minds with an annoyed jab through the kin-connection. _(Those are **new** fin-kin! We should go greet them and see if they need our help.)_

Lucifer shoots her a glare over his shoulder and flicks at Anna’s mind hard enough to make her flinch. _(We have the safety of the entire colony to think about. We’re going to discuss this with Metatron and Raphael before we open the discussion to the rest of the colony.)_

As if they knew they were being talked about, the other two members of the Council turn and start their swim back toward the amphitheater. Michael shares a look with Gabriel and Lucifer before they follow suite. Without thinking, Castiel let’s go of Anna’s hand and curls forward to dive after them. Even if the Council ends up speaking in private, they can still do that with the entire colony watching them from the ledges in the auditorium. And he fully intends to be there when a decision is made.

*

It’s hard not to swim out ahead of the rest of the group. This is the first time in a very long time that Castiel finds himself actually _anticipating_ something. Or rather, this is the first time he’s reached this degree of exhilaration. He managed to beg his way into being allowed to form a small diplomatic group of four that would be sent out to find the new fin-kin and see if they have leaders of their own to speak to. Castiel can only hope that they’re not going to be too far outside of their territory. He’s never been past it and he’s not sure how far the rest of his party will be willing to go.

Of course it doesn’t even occur to him that the new fin-kin might have already moved on. Why would they ever leave this area after finding it? This place is so prosperous and there’s more than enough food for Castiel’s colony _and_ for another. Not to mention that there’s half the trench available for them to make their own home in. Castiel can hardly contain himself at just the idea of having dozens, maybe even _hundreds_ , of new fin-kin around with so many stories and experiences and memories they could share. He hopes with all his heart that they’re friendly.

Out of everyone in his diplomatic group, Castiel is the only one who doesn’t hesitate at crossing the border out of the colony’s territory. Even Uriel falters before he follows. Everyone here is a member of Castiel’s garrison and they are following him willingly. After all, Michael told him to pick those he thinks are most loyal. Of them, Castiel only asked for volunteers. He won’t force anyone to make contact with a new breed of fin-kin unless they want to be there. As it is, he’ll be the one to do most of the talking anyways. Everyone else is merely there to support him in the off chance that the other fin-kin aren’t as friendly as he hopes they are.

 _(How far do we have to go?)_ Hael asks and Castiel is proud that her question holds no fear.

 _(Until we find the other fin-kin or they find us. We weren’t given a specific distance to go, but they want us to turn back if it gets too late in the day.)_ He explains, even while he calls out his echoes in the hopes to have a shark-like shape return to him.

He waits to see if Rachel or Uriel have any questions before he glances to where they are both swimming on his left. Neither of them is saying anything, but he can’t help the feeling that they’re not as comfortable with this as he is. _(We’ll be fine.)_

Rachel huffs and flares her side-fans, her irritation bubbling over the walls around her mind. _(Who said we wouldn’t be?)_

Castiel soothes her ruffled scales with a calming touch through the kin-connection. _(I meant no offense.)_

She retracts her ire, and returns to calling out her own echoes into the dark, covering their left. Uriel is in charge of their rear, and Hael the right. Castiel watches their front and with their bellies so low to the ground, they don’t anticipate any attacks from below. And all of them are keeping an eye on the waters above them.

They had left the trench behind shortly after the morning song and it didn’t take very long to reach the edge of their territory by the hunting grounds. Castiel had set out with such high hopes, but he becomes disheartened when nearly half the day manages to pass without nothing more than fish and a few regular sharks passing through the scope of their echoes. Disappointment pools in his chest when he draws to a stop and allows himself to sink until he can sit on the ground with his tail curled under him.

His fins droop sadly as he glances at the dark around them and calls out a few echoes. _(I suppose it’s been long enough. We’ll take a brief rest before we head back.)_

Hael does nothing to hide her relief and she sinks to stretch out next to him. She is the only one who actually relaxes. Uriel and Rachel continue to keep their guard up as they swim in circles around them, watching the dark where Castiel and Hael do not. Neither of them relaxes even after they head back. Castiel would find it amusing if he wasn’t discouraged by their failed outing. He wasn’t told how often he could go out looking, and he’s not sure the Council will approve a second excursion.

The line of stones that marks the borders of their territories is a fuzzy smudge at the very edges of their echoes when Hael cries out in surprise. She careens to the side sharply and nearly crashes into Castiel. He manages to pull back and swim up out of the way to avoid her, every sense on high alert. It takes the space of a heartbeat to find what startled her and Castiel’s gills almost refuse the next breath. There, on the edge of his echoes, is another fin-kin bearing the shark-like tail of the new breed.

Were they in a different direction this whole time? Castiel has so many questions, but before he can reach out to try and touch their mind, Uriel is tugging at his for attention. _(There’s another behind us.)_

 _(And one on this side.)_ Rachel interjects, cursing at the fact that none of them have their swords. Their claws and teeth are sharp enough to be perfectly good weapons, but a sword gives them an extra reach and an advantage over opponents.

Castiel’s heart stutters in his chest and he looks forward, calling out his echoes again. _(And another in front. We’re surrounded.)_

 _(No we’re not.)_ Hael composes herself in record time and sends an image into the kin-connection. She draws their attention to the open water above their heads where there is nothing blocking a retreat, if necessary. _(What are we going to do?)_

 _(What we came out here to do.)_ He braces himself and flicks his tail, swimming forward a ways to the fin-kin treading water in their path. She doesn’t _look_ like she’s here to cause a fuss, but the tactic of surrounding them is both offensive and defensive. Castiel can’t make heads or tails of it without more information about who they are and what they usually do. Just in case, he sends a word of warning into the kin-connection to his team. _(We were looking for them and they found us. I’m going to make contact. Don’t act aggressive but be prepared for anything.)_

All three of them confirm and Castiel brings himself to a stop at a point halfway between the others and the female fin-kin in front of them. Carefully, he reaches out his mind, spreading it to include all four of these new fin-kin watching them. The first touch makes the one in front of him tilt her head. She turns it slightly toward the male on her right and Castiel’s left. It gives Castiel a good look at the hard curve of her side-fan, though he doesn’t think it right to call it that. In fact, it looks more like the fins on her back and at her elbows. How can they hear anything with a side-fan like that?

Rachel keeps Castiel informed of what the male to their left is doing. Her reports are very boring as he seems to be doing nothing at all, though Castiel suspects that he is talking to the female in a their own kin-connection. Do these fin-kin even have such a link or is that something completely foreign to them? Castiel was under the impression that the kin-connection was species wide. They need it to communicate since the water they breathe inhibits most sounds made with their vocal cords. The colony’s songs are just about the only sounds they can make that actually carry under the waves.

To his surprise, the mind of the female opens. The majority of it is closed to him and only a few base emotions are making it through. He is pleased to feel that she is curious about him too, even though she is just as wary as he is. Castiel won’t assume too much, but he hopes that she is friendly. There is too much being hidden for him to trust her in any stretch, but he can at least be diplomatic.

The best thing to start with is a greeting and an explanation. _(Hello. My name is Castiel and my colony, the bright-fin, have claim to the territory within the boundaries behind you.)_ She doesn’t move, but surprise slips through the kin-connection. Castiel takes it as a sign to continue, hoping that he isn’t saying too much and overwhelming her. _(A few fin-kin we believe to be a part of your colony were seen around here yesterday. This is the first time another colony has been seen in this area and my Council has sent us to request a meeting between our leaders.)_

To his relief – and the great relief of his team – the other three fin-kin swim around to gather at the sides of the female. There are two females and two males and Castiel wonders if that’s normal for their colony. He only ended up with the same because even though Hael is a newer warrior, she is resourceful and diligent with following orders. She was also one of the few who volunteered to go outside of the territory. Rachel and Uriel are two of the few in the colony that Castiel would refer to as his closest friends – outside of his immediate family.

After a moment of apparently discussing amongst themselves, the female who has opened her mind to Castiel swims forward. She comes close enough that she enters the range of Castiel’s glow and he’s surprised to see that she has red hair the same as Anna’s, though it is much shorter. At this range, Castiel can even see the colouring of her skin and scales. From her waist down, the front of her tail is the pale white underbelly of any shark. But the sides of her tail – and likely the back of it too – are gray.

When she turns to glance back at her comrades behind her, Castiel can see that the gray does indeed cover the backside of her tail as well as all the way up her back and a bit over her shoulders. It even runs down the back of her arms before the gray wraps around her forearms completely to cover her hands and the webbing between her fingers. The hard side-fans that are partly shrouded by her hair are also gray, but the colour only extends up towards her temples slightly instead of along her cheek like his scales do. Amusingly enough, the tips of all her fins are even whiter than the front of her tail.

The female is different from Castiel in so many ways and it’s intriguing. He wants to study her and the companions she has behind her. What are their colourings? Will thing come close enough for him to tell? Are they the same as hers or different? He can see in his echoes that their back-fins are of different sizes and slightly varying shapes, and the ends of their tails all differ too. They have slight differences between them, like the lengths of the upper and lower lobes of the end-fin and the severity of the nick or hook at the end of the upper lobe.

Castiel keeps a mental list of the differences between himself and the female. She has no glow like him, but her eyes are nearly black with how wide her pupils have gone in the dark. Does she have echoes? Castiel is so used to feeling them bounce off him when he’s in the colony that he doesn’t even notice if it happens or not anymore. Perhaps she has extremely good eyesight in the dark? In the light of his glow, her pupils narrow slightly, but not by much.

More differences lie in their scales. The black scales of Castiel’s tail don’t follow up his back, instead ending around his waist where they begin to blend into his skin – though they do go higher up his sides a bit. He has a smattering of scales across his knuckles, and they extend in two lines from the base of his side-fans, following his cheekbone and his jaw line for roughly the length of his finger.

What surprises him the most is that even as a female, she’s nearly the same size as him. It makes her bigger than most – if not all – of the females Castiel knows. In fact, at this range the males look like they’re actually _bigger_ than him – broader shoulders and longer in length as well. In his colony, Castiel is considered to be just above the average length from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. And the majority of the females in his colony are smaller than the males. It makes them faster, even when they’re heavy with eggs, so they can escape a predator quickly.

Finally, the female turns back to him and Castiel’s anticipation swells again. Most of his mind remains guarded, but he opens the rest of it eagerly to her cautious touch. _(We’ve been watching you.)_

That startles him and his back-fans flex in surprise. _(For how long?)_

 _(Since you passed through here this morning.)_ She tilts her head and buoys in place as her tail sweeps back and forth under her, bent slightly backward at two small fins that spread out halfway down her tail. There are two more that are almost like her back-fin, one sticking straight out the back of her tail just before the end-fins, and another on the front of her tail in line with it.

She’s so _different_ and Castiel has so much he wants to ask her and those behind her. He keeps those questions at bay. Hopefully he’ll have the chance for it later. For now, he should focus on the conversation. _(Why didn’t you make yourself known sooner?)_

 _(And how did we not see them?)_ Uriel asks in their own private link. _(I didn’t sense any echoes bouncing off of us and we would have noticed if we saw another fin-kin even on the very edges of our echoes.)_

Castiel ignores the question for now. It’s rather shameful that they were followed for nearly the entire day without their knowing. He’ll have to report it to the Council. That could be dangerous if these new fin-kin aren’t as friendly as Castiel hopes they are. As it is, the female in front of him hasn’t given her own name or even the name of her colony. Is it possible that they don’t have either?

 _(A few of us saw a large group of you yesterday. We had to make sure you weren’t a threat.)_ She shrugs and relaxes slightly – or Castiel hopes that she does. _(You’re bright-fin, huh? Makes sense. You guys shine just as much as bright-pearl. It’s almost enough to hurt my eyes.)_ After a moment, she jolts in place and gestures over her shoulder. _(Sorry, I’m being scolded for socializing.)_

_(Have you been told not to speak to us?)_

_(Not exactly.)_ She shrugs again and turns away. _(We just don’t really do much of anything unless the head honchos tell us too. We’ll take your message to them. Come back here tomorrow morning and someone will be waiting here with an answer for your Council.)_

He may not have her name or the name of their colony, but he has _something_ to take back to the Council. It’s better than nothing, though Castiel doesn’t look forward to telling them that he was shadowed for most of the day without his knowledge. As the captain of a garrison, he’s supposed to be _better_ than that.

The female and her group head off to Castiel’s right. Just as he’s thinking of closing the kin-connection with her, she speaks once more. _(We call ourselves **fang-fin** , by the way. And my name is Charlie. See ya, Castiel.)_ As soon as that is said, she drops the link and Castiel withdraws his reach from her and the other _fang-fin_.

While he was talking with her, Castiel didn’t hide any part of the conversation from his team. They know exactly what’s going on, but none of them really share in the same excitement as he does. Hael is chewing at the pointed tip of her thumbnail and staring in the direction the fang-fin took. Uriel and Rachel seem no better and Castiel knows that all three of them want nothing more than to return home.

 _(We have a report to make.)_ He announces, turning away from the fang-fin and starting forward again. _(Let’s get something to eat and head home.)_

Unanimous agreement – and a large amount of relief – follows his statement and all three of them pull ahead. Something about this contact has unsettled them. Is it the name of the other colony? Or would it be because of how casually Charlie spoke with him? Were they put off by the differences between their bodies? Or is it the unknown of what the future holds for their two colonies? Castiel can understand their trepidation, but he doesn’t share in it.

He is nothing but excited for what might come.

*

Castiel hardly slept during the night. He can’t believe this is really happening. Today Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer are going to be meeting with the fang-fin Council. They only have four members on their Council and all of them plan to be there. Of course they’re all going to bring their own protection and Castiel can only hope that his brothers will let him be one of their guards. Not knowing if he’s going to be chosen to go is what kept him up and he _needs_ to know.

As soon as the morning song starts echoing through the trench, Castiel throws himself from his sleep-shelf. Michael has a strict rule that Castiel is not allowed to wake him before the song. He needs all the sleep he can get since he _is_ the leader of the whole colony, after all. It had been debated about whether or not he should go, but Gabriel had pointed out that the fang-fin’s _entire_ Council will be there. That includes whoever leads them. It’s only right that the head of their colony also be there.

While he rushes down to the storage caverns to get a handful of shredded kelp to settle his belly, Castiel searches out Michael’s drowsy mind. It doesn’t take too long. When he finds it, he starts tugging at the kin-connection for his attention. Michael is barely awake, but he’s still conscious enough to return Castiel’s touch with a wave of annoyance.

Once it subsides, Michael answers with a distinctly resigned feeling. _(What is it, Castiel?)_

 _(I would like to come to the meeting with the fang-fin Council, please.)_ He pours every single piece of his desire to be there into the kin-connection, just so Michael will understand how badly he wants this.

Any irritation that Michael had melts away into amusement and he playfully nudges Castiel’s mind. _(You don’t need to ask, baby brother.)_ It’s not a name that Castiel enjoys being called, but he tolerates it only for the chance to be a part of this meeting. _(We know you want to come along. It’s a logical choice to bring you, since you’re one of our best warriors.)_

His words are coloured with pride and there is literally no way Castiel could possibly contain his delight over it and the news. He tries, but it crashes through any flimsy walls he tries to cage it behind. His thanks flows through the kin-connection alongside it as he gets a new length of kelp for his belt to replace the one back at his sleep-shelf. That one is rather old and could fall apart at any moment. If he’s going to be present at this meeting, he should have a fresh belt.

While he chews the kelp he’s eating, he makes his way back to his sleep-shelf to get his sword. If he’s going to be going to this meeting, than he should probably bring his sword, right? That would make sense. Or maybe not? Would it seem threatening if he went there _armed_? He hesitates and almost comes to a complete stop from that thought alone.  

Michael answers the question as soon as it’s posed. _(Bring it. We’re bringing along two garrison captains. You and Naomi will be the both bear your swords and the remainder of our guards will not.)_

Castiel tumbles forward into a happy loop before he continues to his shelf. _(When will we be leaving?)_

 _(As soon as everyone has had something to eat and we figure out who is coming with us. We only know that we want you and Naomi so far.)_ Michael sounds weary already and Castiel feels a brief moment of sympathy for his brother. _(You might as well get that sleep you didn’t get last night. We’re not meeting with the fang-fin until midday anyways.)_

Thought he says that, even Michael must know that there is no way Castiel can sleep now. He feels like he’s brimming with energy to the point that his hands are almost shaking. But he can’t waste Michael’s time by pestering him with endless questions. There will be time enough for that later. What he _can_ do right now is hunt down Balthazar and Anna and tease them with the news that they he has already been approved to accompany the Council. It is still unknown whether or not either of them will be picked too.

*

 _(No one else is to speak to them.)_ Raphael’s thoughts are as stern as always and this time they’re underlined with a hint of a threat. He looks pointedly at Castiel while they wait for the fang-fin to arrive at the designated meeting place. _(Only the two Councils will speak. Everyone else stays silent and stays **on guard**. Am I understood?)_

After Castiel gives his confirmation, Raphael sweeps his piercing stare to Naomi, though his focus spreads through the kin-connection to the other ten warriors they brought with them. Everyone confirms, one by one, that they understand. But not even that satisfies Raphael. He is just moments from starting to swim back and forth in sharp beats of his tail. It’s as though he is barely managing to stay in place with his tail curled around the rock he chose to sit on. Michael and Lucifer are doing the same, though they are far more reserved than he is. They are both younger than him and if he showed any signs of anxiety in the contrast to their cool composure, he would lose face.

Only Castiel and Naomi are actually with the Council. The remainder of their forces are a ways back, patrolling the area in the case that this might be a double cross. These are entirely new fin-kin they’re meeting with. Precautions must be taken before anyone can put the lives of more than half the Council at risk. It’s unthinkable to even try and imagine what the colony would be like if it was managed under Gabriel and Metatron before the other positions could be filled – if their colony could survive that long.

 _(They’re late.)_ Lucifer points out and one of his side-fans flickers with his annoyance. _(How long do they expect us to wait for them?)_

Michael shrugs and runs a hand over the front of his tail to sweep away any settled sediment. _(Don’t forget that they’re not as familiar with this area as we are. We knew this rock formation, but they could easily have lost their way.)_

Castiel hopes that is the case. It would reflect badly on the fang-fin if they were _purposefully_ late. Even more so if they don’t show up at all. But Charlie and her small team from the other day had no issues with returning to the same spot she had said they should meet at. In fact, Charlie was already there and hunting her morning meal when Castiel arrived to hear what her Council had decided. He had gone with a specific location they could meet at in mind and Charlie had acted like she knew where it was, so why are they late now?

No matter how hard he tries not to worry about it, Castiel is plagued with concerns that continue to beat against the walls he uses to hide them from the kin-connection. What if the fang-fin left? How will he ever learn anything new about them or the ocean if they _leave_? Why would they agree to this meeting if they had no intention of actually being here? Are they planning something devious or is this merely an innocent mistake?

It is a relief to everyone when one of the patrols comes racing back with the announcement that a dozen fang-fin are on their way. The patrols regroup and form a semicircle toward the approaching fang-fin, leaving the Council at their pinnacle. Both factions have the same number of fin-kin, but one can never be too careful. If anything happens, both sides of the semi-circle – though it’s really more of an oval – can converge to fend off an attack.

 _(Be ready for anything.)_ Michael reminds everyone as he rises from where he had been sitting. Lucifer and Raphael do the same and hang back slightly.

Castiel calls out his echoes continuously as the fang-fin approach. He wants to see everything and he’s not sure if the fang-fin will enter the space between the oval of guards. If they do, the combined glow from everyone will give Castiel a better idea of their colouring. Just seeing their shapes isn’t enough. He wants to see everything and he has so many questions about why and how and if they have siblings do they look as different as Castiel’s family or will they be the same tail shape and colouring?

It will be difficult to fight off the urge to ask all the questions and it might kill him, but he has to hold back or face the wrath of some of the scariest members of the Council – even if two of them are his brothers. Besides, Castiel doesn’t want to be the one who accidentally causes friction between the two colonies. At the moment, that would be his worst nightmare.

From his echoes alone, Castiel can confirm that the fang-fin are _all_ bigger than the members of his colony. He might be bigger than the smallest fang-fin, but in the dozen or so who stop short to allow half their numbers to swim forward, the majority of them are all bigger than all the bright-fin gathered here. Even a few of the females are longer than he is. It’s off-putting, but he already had his suspicions. Michael and the others only had his memories and explanation to go on.

In the kin-connection he can feel the wariness of everyone present. They hadn’t prepared themselves enough for the size difference. Castiel does his best to soothe their worries. Sea-giants are several times larger than all of them and the majority of the time they’re perfectly harmless. Even sharks don’t attack all the time and some of those breeds are bigger than the bright-fin. Size doesn’t always mean a threat.

Of the fang-fin entering the halo of light cast by the gathered bright-fin guards, four of them are females and one of them is male. Two of the females hang back at the very edge of the light and the remaining three fang-fin slip a little further forward. That’s odd. Castiel is sure that Charlie had said there were _four_ members of their Council. Why is one of them not here? Did something happen?

The fang-fin Council don’t even swim halfway into the oval, but it’s close enough for Castiel to _see_ them. This is more than enough for him. They could have had the conversation from the very edges of the kin-connection and never actually show their faces if they wanted to. Castiel squints against the murky waters and does his best to pick out what muted colours he can see. The male is in front, and Castiel can’t tell if the colouring of his scales is blue or gray. In the glows they look slightly blue, but that could be the fault of the light. He settles on a blue that gets _very_ dark the closer to the line of his spine it gets. Castiel only knows that by dipping into the kin-connection to see what the others are sharing from their different points of view.

The male actually has surprisingly small fins on his tail. His end-fin is suitably large for someone of his size, but compared to Charlie’s front tail-fins, his are smaller. Even the secondary back-fin and matching front fin at the base of his tail are smaller than Charlie’s were. He wonders if that means anything or if it’s simply the way he is supposed to be – like how Castiel has swirls in his glow pattern while Gabriel has circles and straight lines.

Following closely behind the lead male are two of the longest females Castiel has ever seen. He would almost go as far to say that they’re longer than he is. They both appear to have the same kind of tail and colouring from what he can see. One of them has pale coloured hair, though Castiel can’t tell in the poor lighting if it’s white or yellow. He wishes more bright-fin were here to light up the area even more. The other female has red hair. If she is one of the Council, then that will please Anna to hear. There are not very many fin-kin in their colony with hair as red as hers.

From what he can tell, both females have gray colouring – just like Charlie. However, they are lacking the white tips to their fins. The upper halves of their end-fins have a much more gradual slope than the male’s tail. His are rather steep, but theirs are almost in a low angled straight line. It’s intriguing that they both have the same kind of tail. Are they sisters? Cousins? Castiel wants to _know_ and he has to wrangle his questions into silence for the time being.

When the two Councils make the kin-connection, it is shared with everyone. Castiel doesn’t know if the fang-fin Council opens it to their guards, but Raphael, Michael and Lucifer open it to all of theirs. They firmly believe in being as open as possible with the colony. Even if they didn’t allow the guards to listen in, the results of this conversation would at least be announced to the whole colony once they returned to the trench. Something of this magnitude could never be kept secret for very long.

Michael dips his head to acknowledge the fang-fin Council. _(It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Michael and I am the leader of the bright-fin colony.)_

The intricate scarring pattern on Michael’s chest and face denote his position. Lucifer and Raphael have a curved symbol the size of their hand scarred on the center of their chests to show that they are members of the Council too. Even Gabriel and Metatron have the markings. To be a member of the Council, one has to be strong and fearless. Getting the mark is proof of that. It takes several sessions of repeatedly making a shallow wound to make it scar over. A deep wound will usually leave a scar – but it’s too dangerous to do it that way because there’s no guarantee one will survive it.  

When Castiel washes the fang-fin Council with his echoes, he finds no marking scars on any of them. They do have plenty of scars, but they’re random and scattered across both scales and skin. From what he can tell, they don’t have any meaning, but he wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he’s wrong. Except… Charlie had a few scars too and she isn’t present now. Are scars merely remnants of fighting and surviving? Do they really have nothing to distinguish their Council from the rest of their colony?

After Michael introduces himself, he gestures to Raphael and Lucifer and introduces them both. _(Our remaining Council members send their regrets, but they needed to stay behind to continue to manage the colony.)_

Despite his pleasant tone and the welcome he sends into the kin-connection, Michael is met with silence. The fang-fin make no move to introduce themselves and Raphael’s irritation flickers through the private connection he shares with all the bright-fin. His opinion of them is growing worse with every passing moment and it isn’t aided by the fact that the fang-fin’s minds are completely walled off.

There are no signs of their emotions or their intentions in the kin-connection. Castiel can only feel their presence and it sets his nerves on edge. When he was speaking with Charlie the other day, her thoughts were foreign to him but he didn’t feel uncomfortable speaking to her. It felt just like speaking to anyone in his own colony that he didn’t know very well. But these four – _these_ fang-fin have a dominating presence even in their silence. There is something about them and their blank stares that feels – Well, Castiel finds that feeling to be almost like touching the mind of a shark.

If feels like he is in the presence of predators.

Raphael’s tolerance has never been very high. No one is surprised when he is the first to comment on their silence. _(And what are **your** names? What are your reasons for being in this area?)_

Immediately, Michael’s disapproval lashes through the kin-connection and he gives Raphael a stern look. Castiel winces and knows very well that Raphael will likely receive a lecture later for his lack of patience. Lucifer’s amusement curls against Castiel’s mind in a private link. It’s a well-known fact in their family that Raphael doesn’t like them and they don’t like him.

The blue-gray male looks over his shoulder at his companions and grins. He gets two responding smiles, each one more terrifying than the last, before he looks back to Michael. _(What good would knowing our names do you? We’re not here to be friends.)_

Castiel’s heart sinks with his stomach. What is that supposed to mean? Are they only passing through or do they have more sinister reasons for being here? If they don’t want to be friends, why would they agree to this meeting? Why would they show up? What’s going to happen?

 _(Now, now, Alistair.)_ The female with the white-yellow hair swims forward and touches his shoulder as she passes him, curving in a lazy loop around him before she stops at his other side. She glides with a dangerous grace and it sends a shiver down to the very tip of Castiel’s tail. _(Don’t be rude to our hosts. That’s just going to make things difficult.)_

For the first time since the connections were made, one of the fang-fin allows amusement to slide through the kin-connection. It’s stemming from the red haired female and she swims forward too. _(But Lilith, you’re forgetting how much we **love** being difficult.)_ She circles around Lilith and Alistair with the same terrifying elegance before she settles at his other side.

 _(I’m getting a bad feeling about this.)_ Lucifer’s thoughts speak for everyone when he shares them in the private connection between all the bright-fin present.

More than a few of the guards flex their fingers to ready their claws. Their tails twitch beneath them and a couple even brighten their glows in warning. Castiel has had his hand on the hilt of the sword since before the fang-fin arrived and he tightens his grip on reflex. He shares Lucifer’s sentiments in this regard and it leaves him feeling sick. Why is this happening after he had been so looking forward to meeting more fang-fin? This is not what he expected and a heavy weight is settling in his chest, carrying with it the bitter taste of guilt.

Lilith laughs and it’s a rough, rumbling sound in the water. Her own dark amusement filters into the kin-connection too. _(I would have to agree with you on that, Abaddon. I really do love a challenge.)_

 _(But not today.)_ Alistair shakes his head and holds his hands out in front of the two females as he swims forward slightly. _(We’re here for different reasons.)_

 _(Which are?)_ Michael’s thoughts are short and Castiel almost winces at the edge of warning to them. He is not pleased by what they’ve said so far.

Abaddon rolls her shoulders in a shrug and bares her pointed teeth in a wicked grin. _(For starters; we want your territory.)_

Castiel’s fans flare in surprise and there are sharp blades of horror slicing into the kin-connection from everyone. Immediately, Raphael and Lucifer want to react. Their responses bubble in the link but Michael hushes them before they can say anything. He even holds his hands out in front of them as a signal that _everyone_ should stay where they are and remain calm. His ability to maintain his composure under all circumstances is what makes him a great leader. If Castiel wasn’t trying desperately to grasp _why_ the fang-fin would do this, he would be awestruck with admiration for his brother.

 _(That isn’t necessary.)_ Michael says slowly, though his thoughts are lined with a hard edge. _(This area is has resources that are more than bountiful enough for two colonies. The trench we live in still has plenty of space to be home to all of us.)_

 _(We aren’t even using half of it.)_ Lucifer explains as calmly as he can, but his back fan is flexing open and closed repeatedly. He’s agitated and who could fault him for it?

Lilith tilts her head and the kin-connection opens up slightly to allow everyone to feel her indecision as she thinks about their answers. Every moment of it is singing with falsity. She's not thinking about it. She already knows what she's going to say. _(We want to live here. The hunting is better than anything we've come across in our travels.)_

Alistair picks up her thoughts and continues in her stead. _(But we don't want to share. We want the whole trench.)_

 _(That's not possible.)_ Raphael snaps and surges forward, only to be stopped by Naomi darting quickly to block his path. _(This is our **home** and we're not giving it to you!)_

If possible, Abaddon's smile grows fiercer and all the more terrifying. _(We were hoping you'd say that. Do you hear that, Alistair? Lilith? It sounds like we have a **war** on our hands.)_

It makes Castiel's stomach turn when Lilith's honest delight flares through the kin-connection. _(How wonderful! It's everything I've ever wanted. Food to last us a lifetime **and** a war!)_

 _(Is it really so impossible for us to share?)_ Michael asks, but Castiel can already feel the defeat in his words. Even the youngest of children can see that these fang-fin have gone mad. No one is going to be able to talk them out of these plans. This is what they came here for. _This_ is what they wanted all along.

 _(We don't like competition when it comes to hunting.)_ Alistair replies with a shrug and twists around. With one flick of his tail, he slips between Lilith and Abaddon to start back towards their own waiting guards. _(I hope you’ll be prepared for when we make our first attack.)_

Both females turn to follow after him, but Lilith hesitates long enough to give them one last grin. _(I’ll give you one word of warning. We play dirty. Nothing, not even the kin-connection, will be safe from us in the midst of war.)_

Castiel has never been more disgusted and horrified with anything in his life. There are audible gasps and similar feelings rising from everyone gathered except for the fang-fin leaders. Michael, Lucifer and Raphael sever the links they have with them before they have to tolerate the sickly feel of their perverted delight any longer. Lilith’s threat is more than enough reason for rudely closing it without any parting words.

To use the kin-connection as a _weapon_ is one of the worst sins a fin-kin could commit. It is possible to seize someone’s mind and barrage it with such powerful images and emotions that it can cause them physical pain. The kin-connection is the most intimate thing a fin-kin has. It allows them to connect with each other in so many ways. Bond-mates connect so deeply that they are nearly one person. To distort that connection and use it against someone is – it’s _unthinkable_.

But that is _exactly_ what Lilith just promised they would do.

Castiel presses a palm against his chest where a painful weight is resting behind his ribs. He feels nauseated and if he had anything in his stomach right now, he’s fairly certain he would lose it. How could he have ever been _excited_ to meet the fang-fin? There was so much he wanted to ask them and now – now he can hardly stand to watch them slip into the dark of the deeps. The very thought of admiring them makes his insides turn.

The fang-fin are _monsters_.

He thought he would be able to learn so much from them and expand just a bit on the little world of his colony’s territory. To find out just how wrong he was is heart breaking. It doesn’t matter how bored he was with the sentry duty. It doesn’t matter that he wanted to explore and learn. Castiel wanted more out of life, but he never wanted _war_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(What’s up with you two?)_ He tugs at the walls around their minds before diving in headfirst to scatter the shoal and grab a fish. _(If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you’re not excited for this.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar) | ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin)

Dean would have given pretty much anything to have been allowed to go to the meeting with the so called bright-fin Council. How hilarious is that? They call themselves _bright-fin_. Ridiculous. Granted, it does make sense given that they actually glow. Or, at least, that’s what Charlie said. Dean actually hasn’t seen one yet. Seeing them in Charlie’s memories just isn’t the same as seeing them up close and personal. Now, according to Crowley and the rest of the Council, Dean will get to do both that _and_ fight to his heart’s content.

There’s nothing a fang-fin loves more than fighting and Dean loves how much it gets his blood pumping. They use it to survive and to determine their positions within the colony. The strongest are at the top and the weakest are at the bottom. Dean and most of his friends are somewhere in the middle. They’re not the worst, but they’re not nearly the best. Dean is a bit better than most in his tier, maybe. But that’s not good enough. He wants to be _better_. And this is his chance.

A war will give Dean the opportunity to show that he’s a better fighter. The more bright-fins he kills, the higher in rank he’ll climb. Maybe he’ll be able to snag the role of a captain. If he had his own division to command, he’d have more status than his whole family has had for generations. But that’s a sore spot for both him and his brother and neither of them likes to think about it, let alone talk about it.

Because he doesn’t like the line of thought his mind happens to be taking, Dean turns it elsewhere. When Crowley announced how the meeting with the bright-fin had gone, the rest of the Council talked about what they had noticed just from observation. From what they could tell, the bright-fin don’t have as good of eyesight as the fang-fin do. Dean’s eyesight and sense of smell are _awesome_. Not to mention that his skin is riddled with all sorts of receptors that can sense the slightest differences in the water.

Clearly, fang-fin are superior to bright-fin and it makes Dean’s chest swell with pride for his colony. He doesn’t have much to be proud of with his lineage, besides his big little brother, but at least he can be happy knowing that on his own he’s a thousand times more awesome than any glowing bright-fin. Lilith said that they used their glows to light the area and were still constantly using their echolocation. If they had the same sensory receptors in their skin and scale that the fang-fin do, that wouldn’t be necessary.

A fang-fin can feel something moving even from a decent distance away. They can even note when there are changes in the temperature of the ware. That’s one of the reasons why they were interested in this area. Even from here, quite a distance away from the bright-fin colony, Dean can tell that the water is warmer here. Not by much, but if he got closer to this so called _trench_ where the bright-fin live, the water would be exceptionally warmer.

Would the bright-fin even be able to sense that? Do they know just how lucky they are? Warm water is something the fin-kin lost when they were forced to move to the deeps long ago to escape the two-tails. That was generations upon generations upon generations before Dean every came along, but he’s rather bitter about it. Once when he was younger, he got to experience warm waters and he’s wanted to have it again ever since.

And that is one of the many reasons that Dean is outraged by the bright-fin’s declaration of war. How _dare_ they not want to share this area? There’s so much food, for starters. Dean hasn’t eaten this well in his entire life. The bright-fin don’t even need to share their stupid trench. If they would just let the fang-fin colony take up residence someplace closer to that heat, then things would be fine. But those bastards refused. They claimed this entire area as their own and swore that they would kill any fang-fin who came anywhere near their territory.

Where do they even think they can get away with doing that? The colony has scouted this area nonstop for the last several days – every since they were drawn here by the heat – and the best fishing available is within the boundaries the bright-fin laid out. Dean followed those boundaries once with Charlie and a scouting party once. They go forever – all the way to a kelp forest, of all things. There are so many resources and they’re just _hoarding_ them all. It’s selfish and downright rude of them to declare _war_ on the fang-fin colony because they don’t want to share.

As much as Dean loves to fight and as happy as he is to have a reason for it, their actions make Dean’s blood boil. He doesn’t take any enjoyment in _killing_ a fin-kin. Fighting one is an entirely different matter. Dean fights fin-kin all the time in his own colony. He might be kind of looking forward to seeing how a bright-fin fights – especially since they have _swords_. Which means they have access to metal and the means of melting it.

What else do they have that they’re refusing to share? Do they have other weapons? Tools? Do they have something that makes it easier for them to hunt and fish?

And that reminds him – he’s supposed to be on the lookout for bright-fin while hunting. Since they swore to attack first, Crowley gave everyone the order to attack on sight. Under no circumstances is _anyone_ supposed to try and make the kin-connection with a bright-fin on or off the battlefield. Mother-sea, help them, but that just makes Dean’s stomach turn. What kind of monsters are the bright-fin that they would even _threaten_ to use their most precious of connections like that? It’s disgusting.

He glances over to where Sam and Jess are swimming to his left. In this moment, Dean would kind of like to have some light around. A bright-fin would actually be handy with that. Then he would be able to see the thousands of spots that litter Sam’s gray scales from the tip of his tail to the points of his fins. The only places he doesn’t have them are the white underbelly of his tail and the skin of his torso. Which is a pity. Dean thinks it would be hilarious if he was completely spotted from head to tail.

Sam being spotted makes Dean feel better about his own. He knows that he has spots and stripes all along his red-brown scales. But Dean didn’t luck out like Sam did. Unfortunately for him, he got stuck with having little speckles on his skin in places too – like his nose and cheeks and across his shoulders. Some of it is even scattered across his chest. They’re not as obvious as the bigger ones on his back, but it’s enough for Dean to notice it whenever he’s shallow enough to see the light of bright-pearl.

Compared to him and Sam and their spots, Jess is slim and sleek and one colour the whole way through. Her yellow hair stands out against the brown scales that straight down to her tail. Dean likes her tail. He has the hard edged end-fin that splits at the base of his tail. But Jess doesn’t have much of a _base_. It practically continues straight to the end of her end-fin with a thinner blade of a fin underneath. Dean just thinks it looks nicer than his. And it definitely looks better than Sam’s. Frankly, Jess could do way better than their spotted hides.

Not that there’s anything wrong with spots. Sam loves his. He embraces them and Dean does too, sort of. Most of the time he barely remembers that they’re there. But sometimes he sees them and it catches him by surprise and he doesn’t like that feeling. Being surprised by anything just doesn’t feel good. Which is why he likes fighting. You rarely get any surprises there. Fights are base instincts and adrenaline and his brain can just shut off and let his claws and teeth do the rest of the work.

 _(Hey.)_ He prods at Sam and Jess through the kin-connection until their attention is on him. _(Have you seen anything yet?)_

Sam answers with the same old roll of tired annoyance. _(We’re right beside you, Dean. If we sense anything, so will you. If we could spread out like we used to, we’d have a better chance of finding something big enough to bring back.)_

Dean tightens his grip on the kelp bag he’s holding against his chest. _(Well we can’t. You heard Lilith’s orders. We have to stay in groups because the bright-fin are jerks.)_

Jess’s thoughts flicker with a moment of doubt before that feeling is drawn from the kin-connection and tucked away behind the private walls of her mind. _(There’s a shoal of fish to the right.)_

She shares the direction with them and as one they all turn toward it. A school is better than nothing. A bite in the right place will paralyze it and they can just tuck it away in their bags to take back to the colony for anyone who wasn’t able to go out and hunt. The bags are woven tight enough that nothing will be able to slip through the cracks. Still, they’ll have to be careful. If it snags on anything, they’ll end up dumping a whole collection of half-dead fish on the seafloor.

But if Jess thinks Dean didn’t notice her hesitation and the fact that she didn’t agree with him, then she’s wrong in more ways than Dean can count. Sam too. He didn’t say anything and none of his emotions made it into the kin-connection, but he definitely didn’t _agree_ with Dean. What’s with them? It’s a well known fact in their small group of friends (and definitely not _outside_ of it) that their current Council isn’t the nicest or best of people, but Crowley was nothing but honest when he told them what had been learned at the summit between the two Councils.

 _(What’s up with you two?)_ He tugs at the walls around their minds before diving in headfirst to scatter the shoal and grab a fish. _(If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you’re not excited for this.)_

Their silence has Dean stopping short, poised to bite. He can’t believe what he’s not hearing. Do they actually disagree with the Council’s decision to stay? Sure, they could always move on and keep looking for another place like they’ve been doing for Dean’s whole life, but it’s just not in a fang-fin to turn tail when someone threatens them. Besides, the bright-fin are being dicks. They’re being glowing dicks – which is a mental picture Dean would be laughing at right now if he wasn’t completely and utterly appalled that Jess and Sam are acting like this.

At least Sam knows Dean well enough that he doesn’t even dare to wait until Dean can get his thoughts in order enough to start questioning them. He continues to work at catching fish and throwing them into his kelp bag, but he still gives Dean a flat look through the cloud of his hair. _(You really don’t think that it’s at least little suspicious?)_

 _(I don’t know what you’re talking about.)_ Dean frowns and doesn’t bother stopping his confusion from filling the channels of the kin-connection. He can’t think of a single suspicious thing about the announcement that they’re going to be accepting the bright-fin’s threat of war.

Jess sighs and circles around him until she stops in front of him. Her bag is bulging with fish already, compared to the one still struggling in Dean’s grip. _(Everything, Dean. Everything is suspicious. Why was Crowley the only one who told us what happened at the meeting? All of them were there and we know how much Alistair, Lilith, and Abaddon love talking.)_

He shrugs and sinks his teeth into the sides of the fish briefly. It stops squirming immediately and he drops it in his bag. _(Well, yeah. But Crowley loves talking more. He’s better at talking to the whole colony then they are. It’s always been like that.)_

 _(How about how he never shared a single memory of the meeting?)_ Sam points out while he keeps hunting. At this point, they’re both going to be done before Dean even has half his bag full. _(All he did was talk, Dean. He didn’t give us a single shred of evidence that the stuff actually **happened**.)_

These are pretty damn serious accusations and all three of them know it. All of this is setting Dean’s teeth on edge and he pulls his confusion from their link, leaving nothing but his disbelief. _(You’re saying our Council lied to us.)_

 _(We’re saying it’s a possibility.)_ Sam swims up next to Jess and they share a look. _(We just think it’s weird, okay? And we’re not the only one who does.)_

Dean bares his teeth and turns away to go after the fish. They’re reconvening a little further along and he needs to fill his bag. _(Yeah, well, I **don’t**.)_

He would know if Crowley and the Council were lying to them. The whole damn _colony_ would know. Lying isn’t exactly an easy thing to do in the kin-connection. No one has ever actually been able to get away with a lie, to his knowledge. Just because Sam and Jess (and Dean) don’t personally like their Council doesn’t mean that they should be accused of _lying_. As much as a fang-fin loves a good fight, a _war_ isn’t something they would strive for. Or, at least, Dean hopes it isn’t.

 _(Don’t be like that, Dean.)_ Sam calls after him, though he doesn’t follow. _(We’re just saying that it was a little suspicious, okay? And we don’t like that we have doubts any more than you do.)_

But Dean doesn’t _have_ doubts. He fully trusts that his Council would do the right thing. Besides, what could they have even lied about? That the bright-fin offered up to share the area and that _they’re_ the ones who said they’d rather have war? It’s ridiculous. Lilith and the rest of the Council might not be the nicest of people, but they’re not that evil. They’re strong and they’ve led the colony to survive this long through all their travels.

Jess’s thoughts are pleading as they brush against his own. _(Please don’t ignore us. If you believe them, that’s fine. This is just our opinion.)_

Yeah, that’s all fine and everything, but then why does hearing it make Dean feel bad for being excited to fight a type of fin-kin he’s never fought before? Why does it make him feel like he’s in the wrong for believing Crowley’s words at face value when there was nothing even remotely false about what he was telling the colony? Being told that he might have been lied to makes him feel guilty – _ashamed_ , even – for believing what he’s been told.

It’s not a feeling that he enjoys having. And he’s not going to talk about this with them again if their opinions are going to be so different on the matter.

*

Dean might have thought that a glowing fin-kin was a funny idea, but that was before he got to see one up close and personal. Charlie’s memories of the male with the blue glow and his friends just didn’t do them justice. She didn’t have the same kind of detail Dean sees when he’s right there dodging out of the way of the sword thrust of a male with a purple glow and blue scales. Her image was dulled by how unimpressed and uncaring she was of the interaction. He couldn’t tell from Charlie’s memories just how small and fragile looking they really are with their sleep, twisting tails and all of their fins that they can move independently.

 _(Well **excuse** me.)_ Charlie’s unamused thoughts brush against his when he shares them openly with her. _(Next time I won’t bother telling you anything interesting that happens when I’m out hunting.)_

 _(You say that, but we both know you’re going to do it anyways.)_ He teases, laughing as he twists to the side to dodge another strike of the purple-blue’s sword. There’s no thinking that goes into Dean’s action of grabbing his wrist and yanking him forward. Surprise flashes across purple-blue’s face, lit by the purple lines of glow on his face, but it turns to agony when Dean’s claws tear his throat open.

 _(You’re too sure of yourself there, Dean.)_ She snaps, but there’s a trickle of amusement dancing around her words. No matter how she tries to deny it, she knows that she would still tell him. Same with Dean. That’s just what best friends would do. _(Watch your tail. There’s someone trying to sneak up on you.)_

The warning wasn’t all that necessary. Dean can feel the movement in the water and he immediately dives. He’s a good enough distance from the seafloor to have the space for it. He leaves the purple-blue male behind. His blood will cloud the water and there are scavenging fish and sharks all drawn to this location. If he isn’t hauled back to his colony’s home by a companion, then he’ll be picked clean and what bones that are left will be scattered across the battlefield shortly.

Since the beginning of the war a few dozen days ago, Dean has been a part of several skirmishes. He doesn’t question why the bright-fin haven’t ventured out past their borders to attack them yet, but it’s not his place to think like that. In the hierarchy of the colony, there are still several levels that he needs to climb before he can do that. Until then, he’s going to be a good little soldier and earn back the respect his family has lost. To do that, he just needs to do what he’s told.

So far, he’s been commanded to kill as many bright-fin as he can during each battle and he’s not allowed to make the kin-connection with them – otherwise they’ll use it against them. The more of them they kill, the quicker they’ll thin their ranks and the easier it will be to dominate the bright-fin colony into sharing the area. But it’s what he was told to do, so he’ll do it. Even if it’s almost a shame that he has to outright kill them.

Dean doesn’t share with anyone that he sometimes thinks the bright-fin are kind of beautiful.

*

With a loud yawn, he stretches out under the overhang he decided to sleep under last night. It’s been a long time since his muscles have ached this much in the morning, but the burn feels good and he stretches again. Dean sifts through the colony’s kin-connection, listening in to the various voices of those who don’t care if their conversations are heard. It’s nothing more than a discussion of the shifting tides and suggestions of where to hunt today.

Sam and Jess spent the night together elsewhere and Dean seeks out their minds. It doesn’t take too long and he touches Sam’s first. _(Good morning, little brother.)_

 _(What’s good about it?)_ His thoughts have a bitter edge to them and it catches Dean’s attention.

He swims out from under his overhang and glances around, calling out echoes and searching for the familiar shape of his brother among all the rocks and other fang-fin milling around. Dean spots him a ways off, swimming alongside Jess and a few others they know. After one more stretch, he pushes away from the seafloor and up into open waters to follow after them.

Dean touches each of their minds in turn. _(Hey, wait up. Are you all heading out for food?)_ He didn’t eat after yesterday’s battle and he worked up a damn good appetite. Now he’s practically ravenous and it doesn’t help that Dean usually has a fairly large appetite most of the time anyways.

For the first time in his entire life, Dean feels Sam actually _hesitate_ with an invitation to go hunting with him. _(Yeah.)_ There’s a wary edge along his thoughts that quickly gets tugged from the kin-connection and hidden from Dean’s touch. _(Do you –)_ And there’s the hesitation. _(Do you want to come along?)_

Before Dean can question it or follow after them, a female cuts across his path sharply. She has a wide, triangle shaped back-fin with a fleshy kind of fan fluttering behind it. Her tail is kind of like Jess’s with the sharp upward tilt of the solid tail and another fleshy-fin under it. Dean doesn’t need anything more than that to know who the female is. He doesn’t even need to see the grayish-brown of her scales or the yellow of her short hair. There’s only one female with fins like that who would have the gall to actually cut him off.

 _(Meg.)_ The name curls on itself in his head as she touches his thoughts and starts circling around him. They’re not on the best of terms, especially since she’s been teasing him and Sam basically since they were born. _(What do **you** want?)_

Her enjoyment of this moment twirls around in his head as she continues to circle him. _(I’m impressed with you, Dean.)_

His pride inflates a little and he pushes it back. She’s up to something. _(Thanks. If that’s all you’ve got to say, then I’m going to be on my way. The others are waiting for me.)_ And they actually are, despite Sam being weird and all.

That’s enough to make him want to multitask and he makes a private link with Sam. _(What’s up with you today? Did a crab pinch you awake or something?)_

_(We’ll talk later. Finish up whatever you’re doing with Meg.)_

He frowns, but Meg is poking insistently to get his attention. Any moment now she’s going to actually enter his personal space and make a physical jab at him. _(I’m not here for fun. I’m here on business.)_

 _(What business?)_ Dean shares the conversation with Sam. If she’s going to be a bitch, then he’s damn well going to make sure that the others know about it too.

 _(Council business.)_ Meg grins and Dean is glad he only sees it reflected in his echoes. If he had the light to see it properly, he might actually be scared. _(Abaddon and Alistair want to see you.)_

Sam doesn’t seem surprised by this revelation. Dean, on the other hand, is. _(What do those two want to see me for?)_ It can’t be a good reason. Nothing ever good happens around those two.

 _(I’m not the only one impressed by your performance in this war.)_ She shrugs and flips her tail forward so she can swim backward away from him. _(Tell Sam and the others that you won’t be having breakfast with them. Come on.)_

When he glances back towards where Sam and the others were waiting, nothing is coming back to him in his echoes. He can still feel him in his head and Sam brushes off his curious concern with a cold push. _(It’s no surprise they want to see you. Just go. We’ll see you later.)_

Mother-sea, help keep him from killing his little brother. _(What is **with** you today?)_

 _(Nothing, Dean. You’re just getting everything you’ve been working hard for.)_ Sam bites back and fills the kin-connection with images from yesterday’s battle. It isn’t the first time that Sam has shared memories with him, but this is the first time that Dean sees just how vicious he is on the battlefield. He’s assaulted with image after image of him tearing through a handful of bright-fin, not even stopping when someone nicked him with their sword.

It’s like being slapped in the face with a tail. Dean had no idea he could look like that. Fighting is natural to him – to _all_ of them. But that wasn’t fighting. That looks like a _frenzy_. He was _smiling_. The image Sam shares with that image is lined with fear and Dean understands why.  It’s scaring him too just seeing it through Sam. There are no questions in the kin-connection, but Dean knows them without hearing them. Would he have attacked a fang-fin if they’d gotten too close to that?

Dean doesn’t know what to say and neither does Sam. They let the kin-connection drop between them as he turns to follow after Meg. It’s been how many days since the war started? Thirty? Forty? Somewhere around there. Possibly even fifty. Dean has been a part of several battles. At least one every five or six days. How long has he been smilinglike that? How long has he actually been _enjoying_ this?

That short conversation with Sam has shaken Dean more than anything and he tries to put it out of his mind – at least until his meeting with Alistair and Abaddon is over.

*

 _(I’m sorry, could you say that again?)_ Dean is staring. He knows he’s staring and he knows he sounds really dumb right now, but he’s pretty damn sure that he didn’t actually hear what Abaddon just said.

She sighs water through her gills and whatever pride she had been sharing with him is starting to slip. _(I said that we’re promoting you. The reports we’re getting back from your captain on the field have been surprisingly good. You’ve earned this.)_

Alistair has been circling them both since Dean arrived. Meg took off once her job was done and of course that left Dean alone with two of the most intimidating members of the Council. Lilith is pretty scary too, and Crowley can be when he wants to be, but he’s more laid back. These two, however, are just downright eerie to be around – especially at the same time. Their bloodlust is practically a scent in the water and it’s making Dean’s skin and scales prickly uncomfortably.

 _(You see, Dean, the bright-fin are better than we thought. Have you noticed the differences between our fighting styles and theirs?)_ Alistair’s touch through the kin-connection always leaves a cloying feeling in the back of Dean’s mind. He doesn’t like the touch of them or how they always leave him feeling dirty.

Dean suppresses a shudder and nods. _(We fight one on one with claws and teeth and strength.)_ It’s worked well so far, but not as well as it used to in the first battles. The bright-fin learn quickly and they’ve adjusted to compensate for their weaknesses. _(They fight in well organized groups, using agility in place of strength and with swords, claws, and teeth.)_

His quick answers earns him another pleased burst in the kin-connection from both Council members. Alistair stops circling and puts a hand on Dean’s shoulder. _(Exactly. The captains can only do so much on the battlefield. They have many to command and they can’t see or do everything anymore. Not with the way the bright-fin fight. That means we’re adding a new rank no; **lieutenants**.)_

Is that supposed to impress him? Dean looks between the two of them with a frown. Why are they calling something like that new? There have always been lieutenants working under the captains, although those have mostly just been the captains playing favourites. But they were never anything official and half the time they never did what the captains had told them to do. Once a division hits the battlefield, it’s every fin-kin for themselves until the call to withdraw has been made.

 _(What does that have to do with me?)_ He has his suspicions but there’s no way he’s going to get his hopes up. There’s a long way to go before Dean is ever going to be able to redeem his family.

Abaddon swims forward and Dean has to force himself not to flinch away when she reaches out to cup his face between her hands. _(We’re **promoting** you. You have the kind of gusto on the battlefield that we just **love** to see.)_

Even Alistair brushes his chilling pride through the kin-connection. _(You’re going to be one of the first lieutenants. Under the order of your current captain, you’re going to be commanding your own little team. How does that sound?)_

Okay. _Now_ he’s impressed and he’s on the verge of getting giddy. Being a lieutenant sounds _amazing_. Before they came to this area, Dean would have thought something like that was impossible for him. He didn’t actually believe that he would be able to rise in the ranks this quickly (if at all) since the war started. But to keep his position – to _keep_ moving forward – is he going to have to continue being the person he saw in Sam’s memories of yesterday? Is it possible for him to be that and not lose himself completely to his kill or be killed instincts?

Or is that a sacrifice he’ll need to make to make up for everything his family did?

Impatience slices into his head and Dean winces. He hasn’t answered their question yet and Abaddon doesn’t like to be kept waiting. It’s probably not a good idea to not say anything when she actually has her hands on his face and Alistair has a hand on his shoulder. Dean quickly lifts the barriers around his mind to let them feel every bit of just how grateful he is for their generosity.

 _(I’m honoured.)_ He pulls away from them both to fold at the waist to bow to them. _(Thank you.)_

Abaddon seems pleased to feel his delight over this and she rewards him with another pulse of pride. _(Good. Go get something to eat, share the good news, and then find your captain. They are already aware of your promotion and will be ready to assign to you a team.)_

Dean bows again and fills the kin-connection with his gratitude. _(Yes, ma’am. Thank you.)_

With one more bow in Alistair’s direction, he turns on his tail and swims back the way he came. Meg is long gone, probably to fetch whoever else the Council wants to speak to next. They sever the kin-connection shortly after he swims away and Dean stops withholding his proper emotions. There’s no one to share them with now, but he lets his happiness flow freely through him. With a happy shout, Dean rolls forward to swim in a few happy loops before he does the same backwards.

For now, he’s going to focus on the positive. He can worry about Sam’s concerns over his demeanor on the battlefield later. This is a time to celebrate. Finally, things are starting to look up for his family!

*

Dean’s skin tingles. Something is coming at him and it’s moving in fast. He doesn’t need his echoes or his eyesight to know that it’s another bright-fin. The one in front of him with a reddish glow pattern is bleeding badly from a set of deep scratches across his ribs. It wouldn’t surprise Dean in the slightest if he’s been calling for help this whole time, given how rare it is to catch one on their own ever since they changed their strategy.

Being a lieutenant hasn’t changed much for Dean. Members of his division treat him with a little more respect and anyone who was separated into his own unit listens to him well enough. Granted, most of them are actually fin-kin that Dean considers friends – and Sam. They were placed under him because even his captain knew it was almost pointless to have him lead anyone else. Dean doesn’t even want to think about how hard it would have been to get fin-kin who barely respect him now to follow his orders even on the field of battle.

 _(Dean!)_ Sam’s voice crashes into his head just as Dean churns the water with his tail to rise straight up and avoid the bright-fin – or bright-fin _s_ who thought it would be a good idea to try and attack him from behind. _(Oh good, you noticed him.)_

 _(Of course I did. When’s the last time someone actually managed to sneak up on me?)_ He laughs and twists to look down at the bright-fin he’d been fighting. They’re being helped by another bright-fin – this one with a blue glow in a pattern of ridiculous swirls on his tail. _(It looks like I’ve got a hero on my hands. I’ll take care of him. How are things on your end?)_

 _(Just **awesome**.)_ The statement comes through the kin-connection in a dry, bitter wave. _(I don’t think that bright-fin is alone. Keep a look out for any buddies of his. I think they’re up to something now.)_

As doubtful as that is, Dean signals his understanding just as he flips into a dive. If swirly-blue thinks he’s going to take away Dean’s kill from him, he’s got another thing coming. Whether it’s hunting or fighting, if Dean has a wounded opponent, he takes them down. _Always_. He’s been a lieutenant for a dozen days or so and he’s not about to start losing on the battlefield now. There hasn’t been a day yet since the start of this war where Dean has let someone get away.

Just as he’s within reach, arm outstretched to grab one of the two flexible fins on swirly-blue’s back, the nerves along Dean’s body light up again. How in the deep ocean are there _more_ inbound? There’s no stopping this dive now and Dean is going to be in some seriously hot water if there’s more than two more. The bright-fin he injured is out of commission, but swirly-blue is already twisting to look at him. He’s going to be ready for action if this tackle doesn’t break any of bones in his delicate looking body.

Dean crashes into him at full speed, sending them both down toward the seafloor. They’re not close enough to hit the rocks now that he’s stopped accelerating, but swirly-blue definitely cried out. His glow brightens to the point that it almost hurts Dean’s eyes. If he hadn’t squinted against it, Dean might have noticed and been able to block the lucky hit swirly-blue gets in. The heel of his palm catches Dean in the chin, forcing his head back hard enough that his neck twinges and he can taste blood.

It’s all luck that keeps him from biting his tongue in half. Twinkling lights dance in his vision from the strike and Dean has to rely on his echoes to understand what’s happening around him as he lashes out with claws and whips his tail, hoping for a hit. Even momentarily blinded, Dean isn’t going to go down without a fight. If swirly-blue is going to try to sink his sword into Dean’s gut, he’s going to have one heck of a time hitting his mark.

He can’t believe it. Swirly-blue is _swimming away_. There’s a sword in his hand and he could easily have taken advantage of this moment, but he didn't. He's actually turning tail and retreating. Why? What's swirly-blue's end game here? Is he planning something or is he hoping that Dean will give chase and get led straight into a trap? There's no way that's going to happen.

That's when the realization hits him. Dean turns around and calls out his echoes, searching the immediate area for reddish glow. Sure enough, they're not where they're supposed to be. It takes Dean longer than it should to find them in the mess of blood and fighting fin-kin scattered across the field. They're leagues away, being dragged in the direction of the bright-fin territory by two very uninjured and very fast comrades.

Rage bubbles up in Dean's chest and he snarls. He was _tricked_. This was swirly-blue's plan all along. Rescue and retrieve. The bastard wasn't here to fight at all. He was a damn _distraction_. Is this a new kind of team the bright-fin have or are they changing their strategy again?

Dean curses a thousand times over in his head before checking in with each member of his team to see if any of their little groups needs help. He may have lost his opponent, but he's not going to lose a single member of the team he leads - if he can help it.

Either way, he's not looking forward to having to report this to his captain - or to the Council.

*

One of the members of Dean’s team, a female named Casey, fills Dean’s head with an anger burning so brightly that it’s almost enough to distract him from wrestling with a bright-fin. He sections off a small part of his mind to deal with her while he struggles to get his claws into a tender part of the bright-fin that will actually do her some damage – her stomach being his goal target. _(What’s wrong?)_

 _(I was all set to finish off someone and that swirly-blue freak just swept in with a group of his own and took them away.)_ Casey spits her thoughts into the kin-connection, her irritation a thick current running between all the channels. _(Now I’m pinned by four of bright-fin while swirly-blue is helping the one I beat the shit out of escape.)_

At the mention of swirly-blue, red starts creeping into the edges of Dean’s vision. He knows _exactly_ who she’s talking about. Swirly-blue has been a pain in Dean’s tail for more days than he cares to count. If only he could say that this was the first time swirly-blue has snatched a kill out from under their noses. It’s more like the tenth – maybe even twentieth. He’s a sneaky bastard and he always makes it in the nick of time. And he’s not the only one.

The bright-fin changed their strategy not long after the fang-fin started working in coordinated teams. Now they have rescue teams or something stupid like that. It’s definitely affected just how many bright-fin actually die on the battlefield now. The number has dropped significantly, no matter how hard Dean works to keep it up. He’s a _lieutenant_ now and he’s so close to becoming a captain of his own division that he can almost taste it.

Which means he better finish this bright-fin female off before swirly-blue or another rescue team decides to swoop in like the big shot hero they are and save her from the big bad fang-fin that he is. If Charlie wasn’t so damn forgetful, Dean would actually have a name for swirly-blue. He’s faced off against him before when swirly-blue was saving someone Dean was in the process of crippling for life – if they survived the blood loss. When he talked about it later with his friends, Charlie recognized swirly-blue as the first bright-fin she ever spoke to – the one before the Council meeting ever happened.

Dean grinds his teeth and sinks his claws into the arms of the bright-fin he’s grappling with now. He focuses on the mind of a different teammates, Brady. _(You busy?)_ There’s no point in waiting for an answer, he already knows they’re not. _(Find Casey. She’s got four on her.)_

It feels better than good to have someone actually listen to him when he gives them an order. Brady signals he understands and heads off to do just that. Dean isn’t a part of the conversation he has with Casey to find out where she is, but he know they’re talking in the kin-connection. If he but more concentration into it, he could actually listen in. But he has his own bright-fin to deal with and he is _not_ going to let someone come along and save her from him.

*

What is _with_ the bright-fin lately? It's like they don't want to fight anymore. They instigate a war, fight and kill for most of a season, and now they're all about swimming away. Every time Dean's division is sent to make an incursion on the bright-fin territories and start up a skirmish, it's getting harder and harder to actually _kill_ anyone. Which isn't looking too good for him. He's lucky if he can take down one bright-fin before some rescue team comes sweeping in to save them at the last moment.

Either it’s swirly-blue and his band of heroes, or it’s someone else with their own band. It’s easy to tell the bright-fin apart because of their distinctive glow patterns on their tails, but the only one Dean _really_ recognizes is swirly-blue. After their first run in those days and days and days ago, he’s been the only one to _continuously_ escape Dean. In fact – and Dean hasn’t admitted this to _anyone_ – but he hasn’t even been able to land a single blow on swirly-blue. He’s too damn fast and slippery.

One of these days, Dean is going to get him. It’s a matter of pride to take that bastard down. Whenever he’s on the battlefield, he keeps his eyes peeled for any blue glows and especially any with swirls and circles. It means splitting his focus even more than he does when he’s in charge of commanding his groups and teams, but it’s not that big of a deal. Actually, after doing it for a few fights, Dean thinks it’s _better_ for and his team.

Since he started keeping a look out for swirly-blue, Dean has been able to keep a better eye on his team too. They’re never that far away from each other to start with and they’re always giving him updates through the kin-connection anyways, but by glancing around for swirly-blue, Dean has caught some sneaky bright-fin more than a few times. Just the other day he was able to warn Jo about someone sneaking up behind her with their glow all muted and hard to see. Dean only just barely caught them on his echoes and was able to get Ellen to intercept.

It’s been days since he started this and Dean never thought it was a bad thing to do. At least not until this very moment. If he hadn’t been doing sweeps while fighting alongside Charlie against a small team of bright-fin, Dean might never have noticed what Sam was doing. If he never noticed what Sam was doing, Dean wouldn’t suddenly feel sick to his stomach and he probably wouldn’t have the tip of a sword scrape across his forearm, leaving a nice long cut in its wake.

Dean doesn’t even feel the pain. Charlie is the one who retaliates because his attention is now completely and utterly focused on His little brother and his best friend. In their nest, Dean was the first to hatch and Sam came out four days later. The rest of the eggs never hatched and their parents buried them beneath sand and rocks in a place that Dean was too young to remember. What he does remember – what he’s known his whole life and seen more times than he can count – is how Sam fights.

From just a glance, he’s always been able to tell if Sam is fighting seriously or not. All through the war, up until this point, Sam has been a strong fighter. He’s been accurate and vicious when needed. At no point as he ever fought so – so – Mother-sea, help him, Dean doesn’t even have a word for what Sam is doing right now.

Sure, Sam and Jess might have had their suspicions at the beginning of the war about the Council’s announcement, but Dean never thought the day would come where Sam would outright defy orders. Because what he’s doing right now isn’t fighting. It’s dancing. It’s – it’s everything _but_ fighting. He’ll throw a bunch, or smack the bright-fin with his tail, but he’s not using claws or teeth. To Dean, it looks like Sam’s fighting them without trying to hurt them.

 _(For Mother-sea’s sake, **Dean**.)_ The tip of Charlie’s tail catches him in his side-fin while the kin-connection nearly overflows with her anger and concern. _(Pay attention and help me out here before one or both of us ends up dead.)_

For Sam’s sake, Dean is going to try and forget what he saw today. There could be any number of reasons why Sam is doing what he’s doing. But from now on, Dean is going to keep a closer eye on him in battle. If this continues, problems are going to happen and they’re the kind of problems that Dean doesn’t want to have to deal with.

First the bright-fin, and now Sam.

Just what is _wrong_ with everyone lately?

*

 _(You’re being moody again.)_ Dean bumps Sam’s shoulder as he settles down on a rock next to him and offers up one of the crabs he caught on his way here. _(What’s got your tail in a twist, Sammy?)_

Even though he takes the crab and tears a leg off it, Sam doesn't thank him. There's a thin trickle of gratitude through the kin-connection, but that barely makes it over the walls that Sam has wrapped around his mind. Those walls have been there for what feels like forever now and it’s kind of making Dean’s scales itch. He doesn’t like being kept out of the loop with Sam and that’s what he’s feeling right now – especially since he’s still sitting on that oyster pearl of knowledge about the change in Sam’s fighting habits over the last _several_ battles now.

Something has his little brother in a mood and Dean aims to find out what. If he happens to be able to pull the reason why Sam has been slacking on the battlefield out of him at the same time, then that will just be one heck of a bonus.

Has Jess been ignoring him lately? Did he lose some friend that Dean didn't know about in the last battle? It can't have been because Dean fought so well yesterday that the rumours are floating around of another pending promotion in the near future. That's _good_ news, not bad.

Dean has done his best not to be the same monster he was before in Sam's memories, but there are some days where he _has_ to be like that. On the battlefield it's kill or be killed. Either Dean takes his opponent down, or they sink their claws in just the right place and tear him apart. He has his own fair share of new scars, but no one in this war hasn't gotten them already. They've been fighting for a season now, after all.

When Sam's silence draws on for too long, Dean elbows him in the side with the edge of his arm-fin. _(Would you crack a smile for once? It's not going to kill you.)_

 _(What's there to smile about?)_ He turns to Dean with a dark look, his voice a storm of sadness and anger in the kin-connection. _(We're killing **fin-kin** out there, Dean. Our own kind. It's not a shark or a giant squid, or - or something else. It's **us**.)_

 _(I don't know what fights you've been in recently, but there hasn't been a whole lot of **killing** going on out there anymore.)_ When Dean gets upset, he doesn't lose his appetite. If anything, it gets _stronger_. He tears into the crab with a renewed gusto while he stares Sam down. _(We hardly even lose one or two a fight now. Same with them.)_

Now that both sides of the war have adjusted to the different fighting styles, injuries are more likely to happen than death. Especially when there are some who aren't pulling their damn weight. For instance, there’s the whole thing about Sam not having killed anyone in a long time. And it’s not even just him anymore. Dean has noticed a change in the fighting styles for a lot of their friends. They’ve all just up and decided somewhere on their own that it would be a good idea to stop killing the bright-fin entirely. They’re beating the crap out of the bright-fin and then chasing them off or letting them get saved by swirly-blue and his teams of heroes.

The point is, they’re not doing what they’ve been ordered to do. And it’s pissing Dean off. If Sam keeps slacking on his orders, how badly is that going to affect any promotion that Dean might receive? He’s working his tail off trying to earn back the respect of their colony and here’s Sam doing the _opposite_ of everything they’ve been ordered to do.

When Dean lets his own frustrations seep into the kin-connection, Sam throws his crab onto Dean’s lap and pushes away from the rock with an angry swish of his tail. _(Don’t even **start** with me.)_

 _(Start with what?)_ Dean asks coldly, throwing away the inedible parts of his own crab so he can finish off Sam’s. _(Start with how you’re screwing up every chance I’m trying to make for us to earn back some damn **respect** from this colony?)_

Sam twists around and a growl rumbles in his chest. _(Have you even noticed that the bright-fin have **never** instigated a battle with us? We’ve always been the ones to invade their territory and that’s when they come to meet us for a fight.)_

Is that really true? Dean has the vague feeling like he’s thought that before, but he can’t remember. He would need to spend the time to sit back and actually think about every battle he’s been in since the war started. But Sam isn’t giving him that chance now. At the moment, Sam is on the verge of swimming back and forth in frustration. It’s the primary feeling swarming through the kin-connection closely followed by a desperation that Dean can’t remember ever feeling from him before.

 _(We haven’t even been allowed to talk to them!)_ He throws his arms out to gesture widely while he talks. _(It’s been a season and have **any** of us heard about the Council meeting with the bright-fins again to discuss anything like a truce?)_

Not to Dean’s knowledge. That would be something the entire colony would be informed about. When Dean doesn’t have an answer for that, Sam points at him with a burst of triumph through the kin-connection. _(See? We were told that we’re not supposed to open the kin-connection with the bright-fins. But look at where that’s gotten us! We’ve had a season of death and violence. Is that worth everyone that we’ve lost?)_

Of course not. But Dean isn’t going to say that out loud. He looks away and takes another chunk out of what’s left of Sam’s crab. He knows there were problems with this war being started in the first place, but he’s only a mere lieutenant. It’s not his place to say anything against his commanders or against his Council. All he’s supposed to do is follow orders .That’s what he does. He’s a _warrior_. If he doesn’t want to be sneered at by half the colony anymore, he needs to do what he’s told and be damn good at it.

 _(Don’t let anyone hear you talking like this, Sam.)_ Dean pushes away from the rock too, his fins scraping against it. _(If the Council doesn’t kill you for questioning their decisions, you’re going to end up getting us **both** in trouble. We have to think about what’s right for ourcolony – not your own ideals.)_

With a frustrated noise, Sam shoves his hands through his hair. _(You’re not **getting it** , Dean. These aren’t just **my** ideals. I’m not the only one feeling like this. There are a whole bunch of us who don’t agree with the war and half the orders we’re being given.)_

Hurt pulses hard behind Dean’s ribs and he actually drops the last of his crab. Who has Sam been talking with? Why hasn’t anyone been talking to him? Sam only really likes spending time with Jess and their friends. He has very few that Dean isn’t friends with too. There isn’t a really big pool of fin-kin in the colony who are willing to talk to them after how their family line has basically been the _shame_ of the colony since before Dean and Sam’s nest even hatched.

His own _brother_ is excluding him now and Dean doesn’t know what to say – he doesn’t even know what to feel. It hurts. It hurts and he’s angry and he’s sad and it’s an ache behind his ribs that feels like a thousand needle-spines pricking him with every breath. The walls he has in his own mind keep every feeling from the kin-connection, but Sam must know what he’s feeling – what he’s _thinking_.

Sam’s own frustration and anger fades from their link quickly to be replaced with a cautious worry – verging on the apologetic. _(Dean, I didn’t mean it like that.)_

 _(Like what?)_ Dean’s thoughts are shaking just as much as his fists. A part of him wants to lash out and hit Sam. He wants to fight Sam seriously, even though they’ve only wrestled playfully since they were children. The scary part of him – the part Dean tries not to acknowledge outside of the battlefield – wants to _hurt_ him so Sam feels what he’s feeling now.

He ignores that part of himself and swims close enough to make Sam flinch. _(You didn’t mean to tell me that you and the fin-kin I thought were my **friends** don’t trust me? What – did you all think I’d tattle on you to my captain or the Council?)_

_(Dean –)_

No. He doesn’t want to hear it. The kin-connection snaps closed between them and Dean does it with a snarl. It makes Sam flinch again, but he reaches out to grab his arm. Dean can feel the insistent press of Sam’s touch against his mind, begging for him to open up and speak with him. But he can’t. Not right now. If he does, he’s just going to end up saying things he doesn’t mean, or doing something he doesn’t want to do.

Dean needs to hunt something. **  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Against everything his body wants, Castiel continues his relentless cries for help. But it’s only a matter of time before he knows he’ll succumb. Before that happens, Castiel gets desperate. He won’t die here. This isn’t where he’ll meet his end. If he’s going to die during this war, it will be on the battlefield. He will have an _honourable_ death, like the many who have died before him. This - _this_ is no way for a warrior to fade from the colony’s history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar) | ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin)

A song of sadness echoes through the trench and there is nothing Castiel can do to keep it out of his head. How is he supposed to catch up on what little sleep is allowed to him when the kin-connection has the song washing through it _and_ the voices of half the colony are being carried on the currents? It’s only been a few rotations since the fang-fin declared war and Castiel is already starting to miss sentry duty. He’d prefer that boredom over everything required of him now.

It has always been tradition in the colony to sing a song of loss for anyone who passes. Since the fang-fin started attacking the bright-fin territory, there has been singing every other day. And the songs continue for _so long_. There needs to be a song for each fin-kin and Castiel hates it. He hates that fin-kin he’s known since his birth or theirs are disappearing from his life and that there is little to nothing he can do about it. But most of all, he hates that he was an advocate for welcoming the fang-fin in the first place.

That guilt still weighs heavy in his stomach as he drifts off his sleep-shelf. He doesn’t bother with wasting time keeping it clean. Tonight he won’t be returning. It’s his garrison’s turn to move to the reserve camps. On the next rotation, they’ll be on patrol where they’ll need to be spaced out tothe limits of their kin-connection in teams of five. Everyone on patrol keeps in touch with the additional guards who are posted in teams of two between the territory borders and where the additional forces are camping, keeping them all linked.

Of the six garrisons that the colony has, there are two on patrol at all times. They are posted on opposite sides of the territory and are constantly moving rotating around the perimeters to continue watch over everything. That leaves two garrisons to guard the trench and they change between each other for the day and night sentry shifts. The remaining two garrisons are camped separately on opposite sides of the territory so they can be called to action if any fang-fin show up for a fight. Their jobs are to train and hunt to keep everyone fed, including those back in the trench.

After a rotation, all the garrisons switch. Anyone who had been patrolling moves to sentry duty in the trench. The garrisons that had been on sentry duty go to the reserve camps, and those already in the reserve go on patrol. It keeps everyone busy but also allows everyone to have some moments of reprieve. Castiel’s garrison is just finishing the rotation for sentry and the patrols are currently on their way to switch out with them. Which means that he’ll be leaving to the reserve camps shortly.

Castiel hopes that they don’t get called out to a battle today - or tomorrow - or ever again, actually. The first time he had to fight, he was forced to kill a fang-fin to save his own life. He still gets sick to his stomach thinking of it and he does his best not to recreate that moment. Castiel tries _so hard_ to keep himself and everyone else safe, but every time there is a battle someone he knows - whether personally or not - dies.

In just the few rotations that they've been fighting, they've lost a dozen or so members of the colony at least. He tries not to keep count. Even though he is a warrior, Castiel does not relish war. The fang-fin, on the other hand, act as though they do. Every few days, a large group of fang-fin tries to invade deeper into the colony's territory. The groups have ranged from being one or two dozen fighters to three or four dozen. Michael's orders, against Raphael's wishes, commanded that the bright-fin are not supposed to outright kill any fang-fin. If at all possible, they are supposed to simply drive them away from their lands. The only time killing is allowed is in the direst of situations.

They are hard orders to keep to, especially when the fang-fin are intent on killing them first. In fact, every time Castiel has been on the battlefield, he has encountered nothing _but_ dire situations. The bright-fin can easily hold their own in a fight, but the fang-fin are vicious. It is as though they are more than just shark-like in appearance. They fight with the ferocity of a shark in the throes of a feeding frenzy. Sometimes it truly is like fighting a shark and that is something no sensible fin-kin would ever do alone.

Despite that line of thought, they _do_ fight one on one – much to Castiel’s irritation. He has tried to talk to Raphael about changing that and fighting in teams or groups, but Raphael won’t hear of it. Fin-kin only fight one on one, so he claims. It’s ridiculous, but Castiel can’t do anything against the orders of a member of the Council. All he, and the rest of the garrison leaders, can do is try to send in the minimum required number of warriors whenever an altercation happens.

This method helps to keep all the fang-fin casualties low. Which, again, is ridiculous. Michael says that this is all to  help convince the fang-fin that the bright-fin only want peace, but all Castiel sees is just as much killing happening on either side. No matter what you tell a warrior, they will fight for their life every time. No one goes into battle _wanting_ to die.

Anna and Balthazar are both a part of different garrisons and neither of them are here now – which means Castiel has a constant bed of worried eels twisting in his gut over their safety. The only people left in the trench are the garrisons on sentry duty, the wounded, the healers, the too-young and the too-old. And, of course, the Council. Or rather; _part_ of the Council.

Metatron is past the prime of his life and he has grown round in his time on the Council. He isn't fit for a fight and he has, of course, stayed behind. Gabriel, on the other hand, has never been much of a fighter. He stays behind with Metatron to help manage the colony while Raphael moves back and forth between the reserve camps, doing his part to help the garrison leaders command their troops. Michael and Lucifer do the same, but they only go from the trench to the reserve camps. It’s their task to keep up to date on everything and try to figure out a way to end this war.

Castiel can only hope that this doesn’t go on for much longer. He doesn’t want to even _imagine_ what it would be like to actually lose one of his siblings. Just having the thought alone sends his heart diving to the deeps and he needs to take several slow and deep breaths to calm himself before he can move on with his day.

His garrison will be meeting above the Council auditorium and Castiel barely has the time to get food, let alone to search for Gabriel’s mind through the silence. The kin-connection is much quieter than what he’s used to. The voices of those at the reserve camps are distant and tenuous. Most voices fade or grow as he swims, passing in and out of range. He doesn’t bother dipping in to see what they’re talking about. It’s never good.

How could so much change in just a few rotations? It saddens Castiel to no end and weighs on him like a rock resting on his back. He would give anything to go back to the way things were; to back before they ever heard anything about the _fang-fin_. A bitter tang stings the back of his tongue and Castiel forces it away. It will be hard to eat if he lets his feelings get the best of him. It’s his own fault for getting his hopes up and having such high expectations of the fang-fin before he even knew anything about them.

A tired mind brushes against his own and Castiel welcomes the reprieve from his own private thoughts. _(Gabriel. Did you sleep at all?)_

 _(No more than you did, I bet.)_ His thoughts are drawn and wearier than Castiel would wish on anyone. _(You’re heading out to the reserves soon, aren’t you?)_

Unfortunately. Castiel sighs and rubs a hand over his face. All he can stomach right now is kelp and he’ll have to get a fish or two on the way to the camp – or when he’s there. He’s not picky. _(Anna’s garrison should be in next. You won’t be stuck alone with Metatron for long.)_

 _(Thank Mother-sea.)_ There’s actual sincerity wrapped around his words and Castiel briefly wonders if Metatron is _that_ bad to spend time with. He barely knows him as more than a member of the Council and a keeper. _(Dear sweet sea urchins, Cassie, he’s already awake. Save me.)_

 _(Don’t lose your head.)_ Castiel reminds him. Normally he would smile at Gabriel’s antics, but the ability to do that feels like it left him a few rotations ago. _(Good luck, Gabriel.)_

 _(I’m going to need it. At least Lucifer is coming back today. He’ll stop Metatron from talking endlessly about the stupidest things.)_ Gabriel’s frustration tickles the kin-connection before he tucks it away. _(He loves the feel of his voice too much. Please, Cassie, save me?)_

If he could, he would. _(Maybe next time.)_ Once he has some kelp in his hand, Castiel heads towards the auditorium. _(But I’m afraid that I’ve got a garrison to lead.)_

 _(Stay safe out there.)_ His thoughts slide into a seriousness that feels uncharacteristic from his usual lackadaisical tone, but Castiel knows better. There is no room for being so relaxed when their kin are dying. _(I don’t want to have a sing a song for you.)_

 _(I’ll do my best.)_ And that is all that he can promise.

If he’s lucky, the fang-fin won’t try an attack for another few days yet – if not longer. Maybe they’ll grow bored and move on once they realize that his colony isn’t giving up without a fight. Things would be easier to bear if he knew how many fin-kin the fang-fin have at their disposal. How strong is their colony? Castiel has only been in a couple battles so far, but he’s certain that he’s seen a few of the same fang-fin both times.

It’s frustrating, actually. The fang-fin just keep attacking and Michael’s strategy is to just hold them off. Is he really hoping that they’re going to stop suddenly and realize the error of their ways? Castiel was there and he heard what the fang-fin Council said. They _wanted_ this. That’s the very reason why they continue to chase off any messengers sent in the direction that they’ve determined the fang-fin colony is residing in.

Every time there is a battle, once it is over and the fang-fin have retreated or are pushed back, Michael sends a messenger. He wants to talk to the Council again, but they won’t listen. Any attempts at diplomacy are torn to shreds and it’s only a matter of time before Michael stops attempting to be civil. All Castiel wants is for the fighting to stop. Peace. He wants _peace_ back. The peace and the dreary day to day life of the colony again.

That’s all he wants.

*

 _(Hannah is on her way, Ion. **Don’t** take this one on alone.) _ Castiel instructs as he twists out of the reach of a fang-fin. In the same moment, he instructs Hannah to go to Ion’s side. _(He’s killed someone in every battle where he’s been present. Do **not** fight him on your own.)_

 _(I’ve got this.)_ Ion’s thoughts are cocky, but they don’t last long.

It’s not more than a matter of a few moments before Castiel is squeezing his eyes shut as Ion’s voice cuts out of kin-connection suddenly. In that instant, he _loathes_ the mental link between his people. There is nothing worse than being able to feel the exact moment when someone dies. It’s an entirely different feeling than when one is simply knocked out. At least at that point, Castiel can still feel the shimmering edges of their mind, blocked by the heavy walls of unconsciousness. When they die, he can’t feel anything. They just _disappear_.

Today, Ion is the one that Castiel loses – and he vows that there won’t be another during this battle. Ion was from a few breeding seasons ahead of his own and they weren’t exactly friends, but Castiel is – _was_ his commander. All that matters is that he _knew_ him, and losing him on the field of battle is just as bad as if it had been Uriel or Rachel or any other close friend.

 _(I’m sorry.)_ Hannah’s thoughts are torn with rage and ringed with regret that she wasn’t able to save him. _(I wasn’t – I couldn’t get to him in time. I’m sorry, Castiel. I’m –)_

 _(It happens.)_ Castiel hates that he has to say that. He hates that he has to _feel_ that. _(We all know who he was fighting against. Hannah, come to me. Everyone, pair up.)_ His order is met with surprise, but Castiel ignores it. _( **Nobody** fights alone today or ever again.) _ It’s a change to their strategy, but Castiel knows it’s necessary and he’ll take the brunt of Raphael’s anger when they return to camp.

The vestiges of Ion’s last words are still echoing in his head. A trembling scream for help that is burned into his memories alongside images of green eyes – beautiful and deadly – lit by Ion’s nearly white glow. Everyone in both Castiel’s garrison and the one that had been on patrol feel sorrow for losing Ion. If they can, they’re going to have to try and get his body when this battle is done with. It needs to be dealt with properly, if it hasn’t already been caught up by scavengers.

More rotations have passed than Castiel would like for this war. He’s lost count of them all, but he still isn’t used to this. Not in the way that he should be. He should be hardened to everything now, like Uriel, but he’s not. Losing a member of his garrison, seeing someone injured, or even being injured himself – everything feels like a physical blow to him. It doesn’t help that Castiel has been having trouble sleeping at night and that worry is constantly gnawing at his heart – worry over his family, his garrison, his colony, and himself.

And, of course, he worries about the battles. He worries about those green eyes and the vicious fang-fin who has them. Castiel counts himself lucky for not having encountered him on the field yet, but that can’t be very far off. One of these days, they’ll likely come head to head – and when that happens, Castiel doesn’t plan to be like the rest of the victims of those green eyes. Anyone who has met him on in battle usually doesn’t get away. If they do, they don’t survive the wounds they’ve received from him.

If this war had never happened, Castiel would have liked to meet this fang-fin. And any other fang-fin with green eyes or green scales – though he hasn’t seen any of those yet. Green is a colour that doesn’t naturally occur in the bright-fin. Just like how their scales and glows may have purple or pink or blue hues, but their hair does not. And their eyes don’t even have the same range of colours as their hair. It’s another quirky thing that Castiel finds interesting and, if things were different, he would have liked to see if the fang-fin knew anything about why _they_ have green eyes and the bright-fin don’t.

There are a lot of things that Castiel would do differently concerning the fang-fin if their Council wasn’t crazy and if this war had never happened. Each time he thinks of something new, it’s just another guilty weight on his conscious. And those weights have no business distracting him on the battlefield. He has a job to do and lives to protect and nothing is going to stop him from doing that.

*

This time, it’s not a member of his garrison calling for help. Samandriel is barely holding his own against a fang-fin and all of his concentration is going into fighting him. The only thing he can throw into the kin-connection is his fear and a desperation that holds no words. Castiel doesn’t need anything more than that for him to break away from his own group with more in tow. Without needing to be told, Hannah and Rachel follow after him immediately with another handful of fin-kin behind them. They trail at a distance and swim close to the ground with their glows dimmed to nothing.

After changing their strategy in the middle of a battle without approval from Raphael, Castiel had to go through Michael and Lucifer to change it even more. Raphael is _livid_ with him, but Castiel doesn’t care. Ever since he got everyone to fight in teams, there has been an incredible decrease in casualties. Even more so since the creation of the rescue squadrons that Castiel fought so hard to have formed.

All Castiel wants is for the death to stop. Since the rescue teams began working together to help out those on the battlefield, they’ve managed to do just that – almost. Instead of losing a handful of warriors per battle, Castiel’s teams have managed to bring that down to one – _maybe_ two. Raphael can be as angry as he wants, but Castiel doesn’t care. They’re saving lives and that’s all that matters – even if he would actually prefer that they just end the war altogether.

Castiel dims his own glow too and swims with his echoes. He can see the soft red of Samandriel’s glow coming up over a rise in the seafloor. His blood is on the water and it sends a chill down Castiel’s spine. Over the last several rotations he’s become very familiar with that scent and it makes his insides turn. The smell of blood will likely forever be burned into Castiel’s memories, no matter how old he gets – though that depends entirely on whether he’ll survive this war or not.

 _(Keep him distracted, Samandriel.)_ He touches his mind and tries to soothe the trembling fear making it quake. _(I’ll be there in a moment and I’m going to try and hit him from behind.)_

That will only work if he isn’t noticed before then. Fang-fin seem to have a preternatural sense of everything going on around them. Castiel has yet to be able to manage to _sneak_ up on one. Even with his echoes he can’t accurately tell if something is behind him. He can’t even rely on being able to feel the water being displaced. On the battlefield, that’s nearly impossible to notice because the water is _always_ being moved by everyone fighting around him.

With an extra burst of speed, Castiel throws himself forward with the full intention of slamming into the fang-fin Samandriel is fighting. It’ll be at full speed and it might hurt, but his goal here is to stun the fang-fin and get Samandriel out of harm’s way. Hannah and Rachel will take him to safety and Castiel can either fight off this fang-fin with the help of the team he brought or escape before he recovers and let the team deal with him. Hopefully it will be the latter. Castiel doesn’t quite feel like actually _fighting_ anyone today.

At the last moment, the fang-fin lets go of Samandriel and beats his tail hard. He goes straight up and right out of Castiel’s line of attack. Either one of the other fang-fin in the area caught sight of Castiel and notified him, or this fang-fin definitely felt him coming. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it got him to let Samandriel go. Castiel turns his attention to him and brightens his glow enough to see what damage was done. It’s bad, but not fatal – not as long as he sees a healer as soon as possible.

 _(I’ve got you.)_ He catches Samandriel under his arm as he starts to sink and pulls him back up again. _(Do you have the strength to swim? Hannah and Rachel are nearby to help you if you need it. The rest of us will deal with your opponent.)_

 _(I think I can manage.)_ Nothing but gratitude flows through the kin-connection and Samandriel gives Castiel a weak smile. _(Thank you. I thought I was a goner for a moment there.)_

He can’t bring himself to return the expression. Smiles are few and very far between with Castiel since the war started. _(We’re not out of danger yet.)_

For starters, that fang-fin is still around. And like an idiot rookie, Castiel hasn’t kept his eyes on him. He twists to look up, calling out echoes that prove unnecessary. The fang-fin is diving straight down at him again, arm already outstretched. Now _he’s_ the one on the crash course and it’s too late to dodge. All Castiel can do is brace for the impact and hope it doesn’t hurt _too_ badly.

When the fang-fin crashes into him, it forces a sharp cry out of his throat. The jarring jolt of being shoved toward the seafloor makes him feel light headed to the point that he doesn’t even worry about crashing into the rocks. Which doesn’t happen, though it’s a close call. The echoes he calls out as he struggles away from the fang-fin bounce back almost immediately, making his already spinning head hurt more. The tackle has done more than make his body ache, it’s making his _head_ hurt too.

 _(Castiel!)_ Hannah and Rachel’s concern barrages his mind and he puts up walls to keep all other emotion out before it distracts him.

 _(I’m fine.)_ He’ll ache tomorrow, but he’ll survive. _(Get Samandriel out of here before this fang-fin or another decides to go for someone injured.)_ At this point, it doesn’t matter if Samandriel can swim on his own. With how much he’s bleeding, he won’t get far or be able to go very fast.

While conveying his instructions, Castiel tries to wriggle his way free from the fang-fin. There’s just one big problem with that; the fang-fin isn’t letting go. He’s got his arms wrapped firmly around Castiel’s waist and any moment now claws or teeth are going to bite into his skin. There has to be something that he can do to make him let go, because squirming and beating his tail against the fang-fin’s isn’t doing anything at all. The only thing that Castiel can think of at this point is to brighten his glow as much as he physically can. Hopefully the sharp change in light will temporarily blind the fang-fin.

A growl vibrates in the fang-fin’s chest and Castiel can actually _feel_ it rumble against his own. The bright light of his glow manages to at least loosen the fang-fin’s grip, but he still has a firm hold on him. Short of driving his sword into his face, Castiel can’t think of anything more than striking out with his free hand. His palm catches the fang-fin in the chin, forcing his head back. The growl cuts off immediately and his arms drop as he falls away.

That’s the opening he needs! Castiel folds his tail up between them and uses that to push the fang-fin back even more. In the same motion as he unfolds, he spreads his end-fans to scoop the water and shove himself out of reach. No sooner has he done that does the fang-fin start clawing at the space around him, tail whipping in all directions. His angry snarls rumble through the water and Castiel turns his back to him. His strike should have been more than enough to stun the fang-fin in some way, which gives _him_ the chance to escape.

Castiel has no plans on sticking around and fighting. He has the teams to coordinate and other bright-fin that need help. There’s no time to waste hanging around fighting this fang-fin until the retreat or the end of the battle comes – if it ever does. Sometimes it feels like the fighting never ends. But he has no time to dwell on that now. After so many rotations, he’s come to accept that it’s better to just keep himself from thinking while out here. It’s best to just focus on the task at hand and keep on surviving. Anything else is just a distraction.

With every bit of speed that he can muster, Castiel puts as much distance between himself and the fang-fin as he can. He glances back and calls out echoes, happy to find that the fang-fin isn’t following him. Good. Now he can turn his attention to directing rescue teams and assisting them. Before he can submerge himself in the kin-connection completely, a wave of gratefulness washes over him.

 _(I thought for sure I was going to be a goner against Green-eyes. Thank you.)_ Samandriel’s mind-voice is thin as he’s taken further and further away. Hannah and Rachel will be taking him to the reserve camp where a healer will be able to deal with him – if they’re not met by one sooner. The healers tend to hang out halfway between the camp and the borders when a battle is underway.

 _(It’s what I’m here for.)_ Castiel reassures him. _(Just heal up and feel –)_ Hold on. What did he say? Who was he fighting?

All his fans flare to bring Castiel to a stop and he turns around again, calling out echoes. Samandriel was fighting the monster with the green eyes? Unbelieveable. Is this a turning point in the war? Castiel can only hope so. Green-eyes, as they’ve been calling him, has _never_ lost a victim. They’ve all died at his hands or of fatal wounds later. Samandriel will live. He’ll have scars on his ribs, but he’ll _live_. This is a first and Castiel actually feels _happiness_ curl through him. It’s weighted heavily with pride and a corner of his mouth twitches in a brief half smile.

This is progress. This is _good_. And he can’t wait to get back to tell Michael.

*

It was perhaps not the wisest of moves to lure all _three_ fang-fin away from Hannah before the rest of their reinforcements arrived, but Castiel has always been rather protective of the members of his garrison. They were fighting side by side together against three fang-fin and doing just fine. They can both easily hold their own against two, but a third made it necessary that they fight together. Castiel was happy to have her there – until she took claws to her back-fan. The webbing was shredded in places and two of the spines were broken. Her pain was a dull sensation in Castiel’s mind before he had to block it out for his safety.

It was all he could do just to put himself between her and the fang-fin while calling for reinforcements. He slapped one in the face with the end of his tail and thankfully missed having teeth sink into the webbing of his end-fan or his scales. The second fang-fin has a jagged scratch across her chest from the tip of his sword, and the third got a fist to his cheek. Castiel kept up his assault on all three of them, darting away before they could retaliate only to hit them all from behind until he had their full attention. It gave Hannah the time necessary to get away and hide until reinforcements were on their way.

But Castiel didn’t stop there. He couldn’t risk having them turn around and hunt Hannah down. He kept up his attack and sustained a few scratches of his own across his scales before he swam away, hoping they would follow. The fang-fin are fast, but they’re bulky. They have more muscle mass and wider shoulders – built to overpower their opponents. Castiel is built for speed and agility to outrun predators and catch fish. In a race, he _will_ win.

As he swims away, luring the fang-fin farther and farther from Hannah, he calls echoes over his shoulder to make sure they’re still following. If any of them look like they’re going to turn away to go back, Castiel rolls to reverse his direction and crashes through them again. For Hannah’s safety, he needs to keep their attention _on him_. He has the stamina and the speed to avoid them for as long as it takes until he can find someone who is free enough to fight with him or until  a retreat is called and they leave the battleground on their own. But Castiel will _not_ let these three hurt another member of his garrison – and he won’t kill them. He hasn’t had to kill anyone in a long time and he’s not about to start again now.

Ahead of him, a yawning crack in the seafloor reflects itself in his echoes. Castiel’s jaw tightens and he beats his tail harder. If he can lure them into that crevasse, he might be able to lose them amongst the rocks or knock them against the walls. An unconscious fang-fin can’t hurt anyone else. The moment he breaks over the lip of the chasm, Castiel pelts it with sound, skimming across the top. There are a few rocky outcroppings sticking out from the walls and openings to what could be some caves. The echoes don’t come back from its depths. Good. This will be perfect for losing them.

This place is technically _outside_ of bright-fin territory, but Castiel still knows of it. He hasn’t been here since he was young and he only ever explored it once with Anna, their brothers, and a few other bright-fin from their breeding season. It’s been long enough that Castiel doesn’t actually recognize anything. As he dives into the crevasse, swimming backwards for a moment to watch and taunt the fang-fin following him, he notices that a few of the outcroppings have been broken away. What could have done that?

Castiel calls more sound toward the edges of the chasm, just to check his suspicions. Sure enough, there are several boulders and loose rocks teetering on the edge. This crack must have widened since he was a child and it’s loosening everything sitting on the seafloor. One solid smack against the wall would probably cause a cascade of rocks. He better be careful. The last thing he needs is to cause a rockslide and wind up burying them all in these unknown depths.

If that happened, he might not have the chance to let anyone know where he is. The voices in his head of the garrisons fighting at the moment are distant. If something happens here, no one might know what happened to him. It’s that thought that scares him the most and Castiel resolves to end this chase soon. He flips back onto his stomach and turns toward one of the openings in the rock wall, slowing slightly so the fang-fin can catch up.

A plan unfolds in his mind, quick and simple. All Castiel needs to do is make them think that he’s going to go inside a cave. And then, at the last possible moment, he can twist out of the way and swim up and out of the chasm. If he’s lucky, the fang-fin won’t have the time to react. While he’s out of sight, he’ll make a break back to the fight. Whether they follow or not will be up to them, but he can lose them back in the battle. Of course, that will only work if they don’t catch up to him.

Castiel has never been one for superstition, but that is all that crosses his mind when his course is disrupted by two of the fang-fin crashing into him from behind. By thinking about what could happen, he invited it _to_ happen. He must have slowed too much and the fang-fin had energy to spare, throwing it into an extra burst of speed to catch him when he foolishly gave them the chance too. With the force of their tackle, Castiel nearly collides with the wall. Thankfully, they were just far enough from it that they don’t hit it.

Unfortunately, the third fang-fin is just stupid enough that he must think that sending them _all_ into the wall is a good idea. He plows into them at top speed and forces a sharp cry out of Castiel as they hit the wall. It knocks the water from his lungs and his gills flutter wildly without a breath to pass through them. His whole side screams with pain and he’s fairly certain that the adipose fans along his tail on that side has ripped in a few places. It burns with the feeling of torn webbing.

Claws have ripped into his scales and the fang-fin are snarling at each other, breaking away one by one while they regain their bearings. At least they were knocked about too, but Castiel took the brunt of the impact against the wall. His whole head is spinning and his vision is blurry. He can’t even gather himself enough to try calling out echoes to see what is happening around him. One hand grasps at the wall for something to hold on to – something to keep him from sinking. The fingers on his other hand twitch in sync, tightening into a fist to mimic their counterparts.

Wait – his sword should be in that hand. Where is it? Did he drop it? Do one of the fang-fin have it? They have swords that are little more than sharpened spires of rock or coral, but they don’t have _metal_ weapons like the bright-fin do. It’s much harder to break a bright-fin forged sword than it is any of the weapons the fang-fin have brought to battle. But it would be shameful to lose his sword to them – especially when it’s Castiel’s own fault for foolishly thinking they wouldn’t be able to catch up to him even if he slowed down a little.

His whole body hurts and his head is ringing from where it hit the wall. He can taste blood in his mouth and smell it on the water. This could be his end. Castiel is too rattled to put up a fight – confused, hurt, even his glow has dimmed from how shaken he is. The fang-fin could easily pick him off now and no one would know. He can’t even focus enough to find the minds of his garrison and let them know that he needs help. Their voices are still there, but they are weak through the fog of his pain. If he had been hurt any more than this, he might have lost his connection to them completely.

Someone grabs Castiel's shoulder and turns him roughly. Judging by the breasts, he assumes it's the female fang-fin growling in his face as she forces him back against the rock wall. He winces when his back-fans fold awkwardly, but thankfully they don't hurt too much. No spines feel broken in them and even his head-fins are alright. They flare normally as he hisses at the fang-fin, hoping that even though he is disoriented, he can still fool her into thinking that he’s able to put up a fight right now.

Castiel's hiss is louder than he thought it would be. It also sounds rougher than it should. How can a hiss have a rumble to it? He's fairly certain that he didn't growl instead. Or did he? No, he didn't. A growl wouldn't make the water around him tremble and it certainly wouldn't have gravel and sand rain down on his head. The fang-fin aren't even looking at him anymore, so what does it matter? In the light of his glow, Castiel can see all their faces are tilted upward. What are they looking at? Why do they look so horrified and why are they backing away?

The realization strikes Castiel as a rock the size of his fist bounces off his shoulder. A landslide. The four of them crashing into the wall this close to the lip has dislodged the loose rock sitting at the edge of the chasm. Castiel doesn't even bother to look at what is falling towards him. If the boulders are coming down too - some of which were bigger than him - then he doesn't want to know. All Castiel cares about right now is getting out of the way.

He pushes away from the wall and beats his tail hard, ignoring the sting of other rocks. The fang-fin are in front of him and he can't swim outward from the wall - not while they're waiting to see if the avalanche will take care of him for them. He can't swim upward either, not into the rocks. If he could focus properly right now, he might have been able to swim through it without getting badly injured, but he's not in any shape for it now. Diving straight down won't get him out of the path of the rocks. It will only delay the inevitable.

At this point, his only option is to go to the left or to the right. If he's fast enough, he might be able to get out of the way. But, best of all, Castiel knows there's both a ledge and an opening in the wall on his left. Or was it on his right? It doesn’t matter. As long as he gets out of the way. If he’s heading in the right direction, than he should be able to take refuge in the cave until the rocks have finished falling and maybe by then he’ll have gained enough of his senses back to be able to outrun the fang-fin – if they’re still hanging around.

The ledge is just ahead of him and it is less than half the size of his sleep-shelf at home. It looks like it’s been broken before, but he can take refuge under it if the opening isn’t deep enough. The echoes he calls out waver with the pounding ache in his head and the small stones pelting him from above aren’t helping any. He can’t tell if the opening is just a shallow indentation in the rock wall or if it opens up into a cave. Should he risk it? What if it’s not big enough for him? If he presses himself against the wall, he should be able to tuck himself completely out of harm’s way under the ledge.

Castiel doesn’t make it that far. He should have looked. He should have checked to see what was coming. But he _didn’t_ and it has cost him dearly. Something heavy crashes against his back and pain blossoms with it. His back-fans flatten under it as it shoves him downward sharply. Now he’s too far down now to reach the opening, and try as he might, he can’t completely shift the weight to roll back off his tail. It’s pressing down on his hips, sending him deeper and deeper into the chasm. His tail jolts painfully as another rock smashes into it.

There’s no time to cry out and his echoes are useless to him now. He can’t even see the fate rushing up to meet him. It’s not a grace given to him as lights flash behind his eyes and pain tears through the back of his head. The kin-connection is ripped from him as darkness consumes him. And Castiel knows nothing after that.

*

The first and only thing Castiel knows his pain. From his waist down, everything burns. He’s being crushed. It’s hard to breathe and everything _hurts_ so badly. Tears sting his eyes and Castiel doesn’t hold them back. He’s never been in this much pain before. Is anything broken? He can’t tell. He can’t even _move_.At the very least, his head and shoulders and most of his chest aren’t trapped, but only one of his arms is free. The other is pinned under the rocks and Castiel is scared to move it.

He’s scared to move _at all_.

What if that only makes things worse? What if it makes something dislodge and fall on his head and kill him? His sobs make his throat and gills ache. If he moves, he could very well rip his adipose fins if the weight on top of them is too much. He can still swim with them damaged, but every beat of his tail will hurt – even if nothing is broken. Oh, Mother-sea, but everything is aching so badly and all he’s doing is breathing. How bad will it be if he _moves_?

Is this where Castiel will die? How deep down in the crevasse is he? Even his neck throbs with pain as he tries to lift his head and he quickly gives up on that endeavor. What’s the point in trying? Without help, he’s going to be stuck here forever until he _dies_. It’s that singular terrifying though that has Castiel opening his mind and reaching out. He doesn’t know how far down he is or how long he’s been unconscious, but someone must be out there, right? Maybe Hannah, or Uriel, or Rachel, or even Anna and Balthazar – maybe one of them is looking for him? He can only hope.

Castiel stretches the reach of the kin-connection as far as he can, touching anything that feels even remotely like a mind. Fish. There’s nothing but _fish_ out there as far as he can find. Everything in between is absolute silence. Mother-sea help him, it’s nothing but _silence_. That alone is more terrifying than the chance of the rocks shifting and actually crushing him. For the first time in his entire life, Castiel is alone. He is completely and utterly on his own, and it makes him want to _scream_.

 _(Please!)_ He begs, reaching until his mind aches from how far he’s stretched the kin-connection. _(Someone - anyone, please, answer me!)_

There’s nothing but the quiet of the deeps around him. This isn’t the first time in his life that Castiel has been afraid – but it is the first time where he is so profoundly _terrified_. It’s so quiet inside his head – a silence he’s never dealt with before. Where the voices of his colony and his family should be, there is nothing. A yawning, gaping darkness inside his own head that threatens to swallow him whole. If the rocks don’t crush him, the silence will.

No. _No_. Castiel doesn’t want that.

_( **Anyone**!)_

_(Please!)_

_(Someone!)_

Castiel doesn’t know how long he calls out, touching at every mind he can find. It’s always a fish. Always, always a fish. They don’t understand him with their simple minds and he should be thankful that it’s not a shark. But he can’t be. He wants the teeming, brilliant thoughts of a fin-kin. Even if it’s a fang-fin, he doesn’t care. The fang-fin could kill him but it won’t matter just as long as they give him the kin-connection – just as long as it means that he doesn’t die alone.

No matter how much time passes, Castiel doesn’t stop calling for his family and his colony. He uses his throat-voice too, shouting into the currents and hoping against hope that someone will hear him. But time passes and his stomach rumbles with empty aches, and still no one comes. Despite not being able to move, his energy feels as though it’s been sucked from him. Castiel is tired and his whole body hurts. Part of him wants to sleep, but he doesn’t want to wake up alone – and what if he misses someone?

Against everything his body wants, Castiel continues his relentless cries for help. But it’s only a matter of time before he knows he’ll succumb. Before that happens, Castiel gets desperate. He won’t die here. This isn’t where he’ll meet his end. If he’s going to die during this war, it will be on the battlefield. He will have an _honourable_ death, like the many who have died before him. This - _this_ is no way for a warrior to fade from the colony’s history.

It’s a dangerous move born out of his various fears that has Castiel try moving. A few of the rocks shift, but none fall. He can feel his adipose fins pull tight as though they’re going to rip and he nearly bites through his bottom lip trying to wiggle forward and out from under the pile of rocks. His claws scrape across the stone under him, scrabbling for something to hold onto. If he was on a shelf, there should be an edge to grab onto. Castiel’s echoes confirm that there is one, but it’s out of his reach.

For that short moment while he tries squirming free, Castiel’s attention is fully on the rocks. But the moment his thoughts touch another mind – bright and vibrant – he freezes. It’s the mind of a fin-kin, though it is closed to him. He squeeze his eyes shut and presses against the edges of that mind, throwing plea after plea at the walls enclosed around it. If they would just talk to him – if they would just let him know that he’s not alone - that would be enough. They could keep everything from him, but he just wants to feel the kin-connection firmly link him to another mind.

Castiel knows it’s a fang-fin before they even come into view. Only one kind of fin-kin in these waters would keep their mind completely locked to him. A bright-fin would recognize his touch. They wouldn’t be so hard hearted as to deny him completely. But even still he tries. That’s just how desperate he is. When the female comes up over the edge of the ledge, Castiel reinforces his touch – pressing harder than before. She doesn’t even show that she notices it. Her head is cocked to the side in his echoes, eyes narrowed as she watches him.

This isn’t one of the same fang-fin from before. The other female had darker hair and this one doesn’t bear the scratch across her chest. Her long hair floats all around her head, sometimes obscuring her face, sometimes not. She brushes it back with one hand before pressing her lips together in a thin line. When she glances around to look at the rest of the chasm, confusion swells tightly in Castiel’s chest to push in alongside his fear. What is she looking for?

He might never know the answer.

The female must be satisfied with whatever she was looking for. She drifts closer to the ledge, angling herself until her head is level with Castiel’s. She’s watching him, though he can hardly see it. The majority of his glow is hidden by the rocks and he’s just so _tired_. It’s hard to keep himself bright when his entire being just wants to sleep. If she’s going to kill him, why hasn’t she done it yet? Is she purposefully dragging out this torture? Does she want to watch until Castiel has lost all sense of himself – until he’s driven mad by the silence in his head?

His pleas break against her mind, sliding around it and falling away. They’re useless and he wishes he could stop, but he can’t. He won’t. Not until she answers. Not until she _does_ something. But all she does is leave. Castiel’s heart sinks when she turns away to swim out of sight around the pile of rocks. It gives him a good look at the long length of her tail. He might have seen someone like her on the battlefield before, but he can’t remember. All of her fins are smaller than the other fang-fin, but the size is in the length of the upper half of her end-fin. It’s nearly as long as her whole tail, and it is easily several times longer than the short triangular shape of the bottom half of the same fin.

Castiel has long since stopped caring about the differences in the fang-fin. Even more so now that he’s certain he’s going to die. He can still feel that she is near, but he knows that she’s going to kill him. She’ll either push the rocks to make them crush him, or she’ll come around and kill him with her bare hands. Or she’ll be as sadistic as the rest of her colony seems to be and just _watch_ him die. But he doesn’t want that – he doesn’t want this to be his end. Not at her hands and not by these rocks.

Mother-sea, help him, he doesn’t want this to be his end.

Slowly, the fang-fin female comes back into view. She almost seems to be circling him, glancing between him and up towards the opening of the crevasse. What is she waiting for? Are others coming? Castiel hopes not. What if they take him prisoner? The fang-fin are already brutal on the battlefield. What would they do to him once he’s been captured? He doesn’t want to think about it, but images continue to force themselves into his imagination.

No matter what happens, he won’t beg for his life. Castiel has been asking for her aide to help free him, but if this fang-fin makes a move to kill him, he won’t beg for her to stop. He won’t plead with these monsters for his life.

The fang-fin stops suddenly and looks over her shoulder. After several long moments, she makes a gesture with her hands. A sharp movement where both hands are thrown up above her head. Castiel has seen his siblings make the same gesture before out of exasperation. But they never followed it up by swimming closer and grabbing him by the hair. He grits his teeth and closes his eyes as the female lifts his head off the ledge. His neck aches both from moving and as it protests the angle.

Darkness takes Castiel again when she slams his head back into the ground.

*

To be honest, Castiel didn’t expect to wake up again. When he comes to consciousness once more, there are a few things he notices immediately. His entire body hurts even more so than it did before, and he is no longer trapped under the rocks. One of those is an improvement on his previous situation. The other at least means he’s still alive, for what that’s worth.

But the most startling observation of all, the one that has Castiel’s heart stuttering in his chest, is that he is most definitely _not alone_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The anger pulsing through the kin-connection ebbs suddenly, replaced with a tired ghost of itself. _(We’re losing this war, Dean.)_ Sam sighs and slips away to pick up his bag again. _(Whether we win it or not, we’re going to lose.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar) | ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin)

Being awake and conscious again is not as good a feeling as it usually is. Castiel regrets waking up the moment he’s aware that he has. He regrets it even more than he does every action that brought him to wherever he is. At the very least, it’s nice to not be trapped under those rocks anymore, though his head is pounding as if they were still falling on it. That, however, can be contributed to how that female fang-fin slammed his head down onto the ledge. There’s something to be said for the fact that she apparently didn’t kill him. But now that begs the question, where is he and _why_ is he still alive?

Currently, Castiel is only aware of himself and the obvious fact that he is not alone. He can hear more than one body brushing against stone as they move. Someone is swimming back and forth, displacing the water in this enclosed area. Wherever he is, there is no current. Castiel can’t feel the tug of it against him in any way, so he must be in a cave somewhere. Why? Who brought him here? Was it the female fang-fin? Is this a cave back in the trench and he’s now being tended to by the healers? Was everything from before just a horrible dream or is he deep within fang-fin territory now?

His head hurts and his thoughts hurt to have, but he works through them. What he needs to do now is take stock of the situation. There are so many questions, but Castiel will get to finding out answers soon enough. First he needs to make sure that he can actually move. If he’s safe at home, then he has nothing to worry about. But if it turns out that he _is_ trapped by the fang-fin – well, then that’s a different matter entirely. It would be good to know just how beat up his body is after that avalanche, wouldn’t it? Yes, it would. Castiel needs to take inventory of his wounds before he can even start to think about doing anything else.

With his eyes still closed, he focuses on himself and everything that he can feel. From what he can tell, he is laying on his side and his tail is stretched out across the floor of this possibly-a-cave. It feels marvelous to have it free from the weight of all those rocks – despite the aches and bruises he’s been left with. It’s always a good sign when nothing _feels_ broken – though he hasn’t actually tried moving yet. A groan works its way out of his throat when he gives that a try, starting with his hands.

How is it possible for even his _fingers_ to ache? Castiel bites his bottom lip and wiggles all his fingers. Nothing feels broken there. Then he rotates his wrists and they’re just as good. He bends his elbows and rolls his shoulders, carefully lifting one arm and then moving the other under him just to make sure that nothing is dislocated. Everything seems good so far. Castiel’s neck aches when he lifts his head up and turns it from side to side. Thankfully that still works too.

With a deep breath, he pushes his chest out and curves his spine. He hunches his shoulders and rolls his body right down to the tip of his tail. Something shifts around his waist, but Castiel is too relieved to care about it at the moment. Nothing is broken and a knot in his chest releases some of its tension. There’s still plenty of other damage that he can’t feel, but everything is more or less intact and he can still move. That’s fantastic news.

As for the rest, Castiel won’t know how badly he’s been bruised or how much of his adipose fans or webbing has been ripped until he actually sits up to take a look at it. But that means he’ll need to move and open his eyes – which means that he’ll also have to look at whoever else is here too. They must know by now that he’s awake.

Well, there’s no time like the present. Castiel takes a deep breath and holds it as he steels himself to find out where he is and whose company he shares. It is a miraculous feat of mental and physical strength for him to actually open his eyes. They feel so heavy – heavier than they’ve ever been. He can barely keep them open once they are. The view leaves much to be desired and he almost wishes he’d kept them closed. A rocky wall is not the first thing he had been hoping to see.

Slowly, mindful of how stiff he feels and every little twinge of pain, Castiel pushes himself up until he can sit upright. His glow is a little dimmer than usual and he brightens it slightly – just enough that he can get a good look at his chest and his tail. He knows that damage was done, but Castiel still isn’t prepared to see the state of his fans. It’s actually devastating to see how _ruined_ the circular adipose of his end-fan has gotten. Both sides of it have a few rips that go from the very edge of the fan almost all the way to the scales of his tail.

His ruffled fans along both sides of his tail have a few rips in them too. Castiel curls his tail up and touches them lightly to inspect each hole and tear. Oh, thank Mother-sea. On closer inspection, those aren’t nearly as bad as he thought they would be. It’s his end-fan that is going to be a massive problem. With webbing like that, he won’t be swimming very far or very fast any time soon. If he even attempts to use it, that will only hinder the healing process and he might cause it to heal badly.

Not that any of that matters, apparently. Once he’s satisfied with the inspection of his wounds, Castiel turns his attention to the unnatural weight around his waist. What in Mother-sea is that? He drags his fingers along it and frowns at the cold touch of metal. It’s familiar to him in that the hilt of his sword has the same texture and feel, but it looks _nothing_ like anything the smiths have ever forged before. Whatever this is has oval hoops linked together into a long metal rope.

The rope is circled around Castiel’s waist twice before what appears to be the end of it has been connect to the main cord. It is plain to see, even without his echoes, that the last metal oval has been twisted and bent out of shape so it can wrap around another metal section to tie off the rope in an odd fashion. What kind of brute strength does someone have to have to be able to bend the metal like that? Castiel is in awe of it.

The main cord in questions is the only part of the metal rope that isn’t wrapped around him. In fact, part of it is pooled in his lap. It snakes to the floor at his side and wanders off behind him. With some difficulty, Castiel twists to follow it with his eyes and his echoes. His back – his entire _body_ – protests the movement, but he does his best to ignore it. There are far more interesting things to see, such as how the other end of the metal hoop-rope is pinned under be several heavy rocks.

Purely for experimentation, Castiel takes up the rope and gives it a hard tug. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t budge. This is obviously not a bright-fin design. He has never seen or heard of anything like this having been done in the colony and he’s fairly sure that everyone would know of this means to hold someone in place. When they imprison anyone, they usually just roll a big boulder in front of the entrance to a cavern. It takes at least three fin-kin to move the kind of boulders that they use, so this tactic is clearly not of bright-fin origin.

That leaves only one conclusion and it is not one Castiel is happy to reach.

Turning back around, he faces the rest of what he is now certain is a cave and calls out his echoes. They’re mostly unnecessary. From where he’s sitting, he can plainly see in the light of his glow that there are four other fin-kin her with him. His echoes only show the detail that his glow doesn’t, since they are literally on the other side of the cavern from him. It’s through his echoes that Castiel is _certain_ that this is a cave. There are pillars of stone that connect the ceiling to the floor. In several places they don’t even touch at all and are nothing more than spires that rise from the cave floor or slope down from the roof. They make this small cave feel even smaller, especially in comparison to the open ocean.

One of the pillars must be hiding the exit from his view because Castiel’s echoes aren’t returning it to him. It makes his heart beat painfully in his chest, adding to the aches of his body. He has no idea where this cave is. For all he knows, he could be leagues away from the trench. And seeing as how the four fin-kin watching him are all _fang-fin_ , Castiel can only think that he must be within their territory. At least none of the four present are a part of their Council. He would not have liked to deal with Lilith, Abaddon, or Alistair again.

Although… Wasn’t there supposed to be a fourth member to the fang-fin Council? Castiel throws echoes at these four again, focusing on the male sitting on his tail to the right of everyone. He is, by far, one of the largest fang-fin Castiel has ever seen, and the most speckled. His scales are simply _covered_ with them. It could be possible that he is the missing member of the Council. But that’s only if size actually matters to the fang-fin. There are small adult bright-fin in his colony and some of them are very good fighters. Size can be very deceiving.

But, then again, the other Council member could easily be one of the other three females present. His glow is just enough for Castiel to see that the two of them have similarly coloured yellow hair, but the third’s hair is slightly darker and shorter than either of the other two. The colour reminds him of Gabriel’s hair. The third also looks older than everyone, including the male, and she has far more scars littering her body than anyone here. Some of her scars look as though they could be even older than Castiel. It’s extremely possible that she could be a member of the Council too.

All four of the fang-fin are watching Castiel closely. The only movement they make is the flutter of their gills as they breathe. Out of the four of them, Castiel only recognizes one of the yellow-haired females. Her long hair may be tied back by a strip of kelp right now, but her face and the length of the upper-half of her end-fin is easily recognizable. Sheis the female that knocked him out on the ledge when he was trapped by the rocks. _She_ is the reason that Castiel is here now.

By every account, he should be terrified at the moment. Frankly, Castiel is too astonished for that. After being at war for over a whole season, the fang-fin have actually taken someone _prisoner_. It’s not unheard of and, to be honest, Castiel has thought of abducting a fang-fin himself if only to get some answers to all the many questions he has regarding their actions. But for _him_ to be _their_ prisoner – it’s not what he ever expected to happen during this war.

A part of him wants to slump over and lay down in defeat. That would be so much easier than wasting energy by glaring them down and posturing to show that he isn’t afraid. Somewhere inside, he’s sure that he is. But right now Castiel hurts too much and he’s far too tired and hungry to be scared. If they wanted to kill him, he’s sure that they would have done so by now. Whatever he’s here for, it’s not to die. At least, not yet.

Besides, Castiel can’t show them anymore weakness. He’s better than that. He is the son of the previous Council Leader and brother to the current one. He’s the youngest of his nest and the only one amongst them who commands his own garrison – and that is an honour that very few bright-fin share. It’s shameful enough that he was all but clawing at the long-tailed female’s mind, begging for her to give him some relief from the silence in his head. Even now that urge is starting to swell inside of him as the empty spaces in his mind start pressing in again. _That_ is more terrifying than anything they could do to him.

It’s just so _quiet_. No, he won’t think about that right now. If he dwells on it, he might just try reaching out to them again. If anything, it hurts more to be denied the kin-connection than it does to not even try. Castiel’s hands fold into fists in his lap. No matter how tempted he is, he won’t try to make the kin-connection with them again. He _won’t_ – though it is so tempting. But he has better control of himself now. His panic at being trapped under the rocks has passed and he is not as desperate as he had been.

With that decided, Castiel straightens his shoulders and holds his head high. He will _not_ be weak in front of his enemy. Not again. The defiant glare he directs towards them is interrupted by the rumble of his stomach. It’s so loud that the fang-fin must hear it too and Castiel can feel heat bloom in his cheeks. When was the last time he ate? Mother-sea, what day is it even? He’s been unconscious _twice_ now and he doesn’t even have the faintest idea of how much time has passed since the battle. His senses are skewed and someone will need to tell him what time it is so he can set himself right again.

His claws nearly bite into his palms when the older female breaks away from the group without warning. She swims forward slowly, her belly and breasts nearly touching the cave floor as she glides around the pillars of stone. Castiel can’t tell if she’s being threatening by keeping so low or if she’s trying to be the opposite. Fang-fin are like an entirely different species and Castiel _still_ has trouble predicting their actions. Sometimes they don’t feel like fin-kin at all to him.

Just in case, Castiel spreads his fans in warning. His back-fans ache, but they both extend themselves fully and he’s fairly sure there are no issues with his side-fans either. But even his warning display doesn’t stop the older female. She continues her slow trek across the small cave and only when she is closer does Castiel notice the woven kelp bag in her hand. He pelts it with sound and marvels at the weaving pattern. It’s different from the one they use back in the colony.

Castiel’s attention switches back to the female herself when she darts forward suddenly. His heart jumps in his chest, and he bares his teeth without thinking, a growl already reverberating in his throat. There may be a metal rope around his waist, but Castiel can still fight and he is prepared for it. But the female turns sharply to curve in front of him and return the way she came. The kelp bag is left behind.

He gets a good look at the pattern on her scales and the end-fin on her tail as she passes him. The two back-fins that she has, one on her back and one closer to the end of her tail, are both roughly the same size. Her end-fin, however, is most intriguing. The notch that separates the upper half from the lower half is located directly in the middle of the fin and both halves are practically the same size. It’s different from any of the others that Castiel can remember having seen before.

The female’s scales are like any other fang-fin he’s seen; a white underbelly running along the front of her tail and coloured scales across the sides and back. Her scales a soft tan with a handful of darker brown bands along it – almost like stripes. Castiel observes her until she has returned to her position next to the yellow-haired female who knocked him out. He doesn’t move until she’s folded her tail under her and settled on it.

Curiously, Castiel reaches for the bag. He draws it up into his lap carefully, glancing suspiciously between it and the fang-fin. The bruises on his arms don’t hurt too badly, but the fingers of one hand feel a little stiff. They’re not swollen or broken, but Castiel flexes them a little while he picks at the length of kelp tied to keep the bag closed. The weaving of the bag is so tight that Castiel isn’t hit with the familiar scent of fish until it falls open. His jaw twinges at the smell and he can practically taste them already.

To his surprise, the fish are still alive and their eyes are rolling wildly when he takes one out. There are teeth marks in its back and Castiel realizes suddenly that the fish have been paralyzed. Do the fang-fin hunt with these bags and paralyze the fish before bringing them back to their colony? That’s genius. It must be so much easier to handle them like this than to fight with trapping live ones to keep in a cave. If he ever makes it home, he’ll have to inform the hunters of this practice.

With a fish in hand, Castiel looks back to the fang-fin. He still doesn’t trust them. Is it possible to have somehow poisoned the fish? It’s not a poisonous breed, but could they have figured out a way to do it? But the fang-fin are doing nothing except watching him. A small smile passes over the male’s face and he makes an encouraging gesture with his hands, as if he’s telling Castiel that it’s alright. If he wanted to do that, he could just make the kin-connection – not that Castiel _wants_ them to make it. But it would be nice. And less quiet. And far less lonely.

Castiel’s stomach rumbles again and it’s enough to take his mind from that. He looks down at the fish again, contemplating whether he should eat it or not. His gaze slips to the metal rope around his waist and he remembers how it’s been pinned under the rocks. They wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to trap him if all they were planning on doing was give him poisoned fish, right? That seems logical enough and that’s all the reason Castiel needs before he sinks his teeth into the fleshy side of the fish.

Sweet Mother of the sea. Fish has never tasted so good. Once he starts, Castiel doesn’t stop. He never realized just how hungry he really was. Has he ever gone this long without food? No. It’s unlikely that he’s ever known a hunger like this before. Castiel cleans the fish right down to the bones, sucking them clean and dropping them to the side before getting another from the bag and repeating the process. Each one is more delicious than the last.

The only thing that makes him stop eating is when a mind touches his own. It’s so unexpected that Castiel actually flinches. He looks to the fang-fin sharply and drop the remains of the fish he’d been dining on. Who did it? Which one of them is opening their mind to him? They’re actually reaching out to _him_ and as much as he dislikes the fang-fin, Castiel still welcomes the touch. He opens to it cautiously, allowing the mind of a stranger to join in a link with his own – though he makes sure that there are several barriers erected around his thoughts and emotions. It’s the only way he can protect himself now.

Whoever is making the link is doing the same. Castiel can’t feel any of their emotions when he carefully probes into the link, checking for anything that he might be able to feel. All he has is the lingering sense of another fin-kin in his head. It’s more comforting than he ever thought possible and his eyes drift closed in momentary relief. A sigh even escapes his gills, but Castiel catches himself before he allows himself to relax.

He opens his eyes again when the fang-fin actually speaks. _(Hello.)_ Ah, it’s the male. There’s nothing that specifically defines it as a male voice, but Castiel can just _tell_ who it’s coming from now that they’re speaking. _(How are you feeling?)_

Castiel narrows his eyes at all of them. What should he say? It’s honestly surprising that he hasn’t already attacked Castiel’s mind. Lilith made it rather clear that any fang-fin would the moment the kin-connection was put into place. Should he risk it and continue the link? They’re his enemies and his captors. But, they’re also his rescuers. How should that be taken into account?

It takes a moment for him to come to a decision. _(Sore.)_

 _(That’s not surprising.)_ The male winces and ducks his head, his hair a halo of brown around his head. It’s longer even than Gabriel’s and Castiel finds that odd for both a male and a warrior. Fang-fin don’t seem to care about keeping their hair short to keep it out of the way during a fight. _(You were one boulder away from being crushed completely.)_

After a moment of silence where Castiel doesn’t respond, the male moves. _(My name is Sam, by the way.)_ He swims forward about halfway across the cavern to lay on his stomach. _(What’s yours?)_

Remarkable. How can this _Sam_ act like nothing is wrong between their colonies? Does he really think that Castiel will just converse with him naturally? That’s ridiculous. But isn’t this exactly what Castiel wanted before the war started? Communicating with the fang-fin. Now he could actually _learn_ from them – if only by observance. Castiel doesn’t exactly expect them to be a wealth of information since they _are_ his captors, after all. But he could still _learn_.

That old excitement bubbles up in his chest again. It’s been so many rotations since he felt anything like it that Castiel almost wants to hold on to this feeling. Instead, he lets his guilt crush it again. How can he show any sort of _interest_ in these monsters? How many of his kin have they killed? Friends and colony members alike are _dead_ because of Sam and his kind.

With a bitter hint to his words that he doesn’t bother to hide, he gives an answer. _(Castiel.)_ At least now they’ll know his name when they decide to kill him.

Sam tilts his head as he crosses his arms in front of him. There is nothing in the kin-connection to support it, but Castiel is still getting the impression that Sam is trying his best not to look threatening despite his size. _(We’re not going to hurt you, Castiel.)_

If he was anyone else right now, Castiel might have laughed at that. _(The female with the long end-fin had no problem doing that before.)_ To make sure that Sam knows who he’s talking about, he shares his brief memories of the female from the ledge. He doesn’t know if the other yellow-haired female’s end-fin is the same so it deserves to be specified.

As soon as he says that, the female in question flinches and ducks her head. Apparently Sam must be sharing the conversation with the other three. What an interesting reaction she has. Does she actually regret what she did or does she regret being tattled on? To Castiel’s surprise,  the older female reaches over and smacks the long tail-fin female upside the back of her head. She flinches again and turns to glare at her.

 _(Yeah, sorry about that. Jo can be a bit rough at times. But she was in a rush and had to do some quick thinking on her fins.)_ Sam runs a hand through his hair and glances back at the other three. A trickle of remorse swirls around his words. He’s _actually_ apologetic for what this _Jo_ did? Amazing. _(Well, we’re all like that from time to time, actually. It’s kind of a part of our fang-fin nature. So, yeah. She’s sorry about that.)_

Castiel doesn’t know what to say. For that brief moment, Sam opens the kin-connection wide enough for him to feel the sincerity in his words. He’s not lying. Jo actually _does_ feel remorse for her previous actions. It’s almost too difficult to believe or even accept. But there it is. He is so shocked by this revelation that Castiel nearly starts in surprise when Sam starts pushing images into his mind.

The first image is the older female behind him. _(This is Ellen. She’s Jo’s mother.)_ And the second image is the other yellow-haired female. _(And that’s Jess.)_ He may not intend to do it, but there is a certain fondness surrounding his words when he speaks of her. Castiel takes note of that in case it might be of use to him later.

Out of the only courtesy he can bring himself to show now, Castiel nods his head to the three of them in greeting. Something is different about these four. They’re not like the ones that he’s used to encountering on the battlefield. It’s extremely difficult to keep himself from being _intrigued_. Didn’t he learn his lesson before the war? Fang-fin are not to be trusted.

Sam sighs and he pushes himself back up to sit on his tail. _(Look, I’m just going to get right to the point. I know relations between are colonies haven’t been the greatest –)_

 _(Understatement.)_ Castiel snaps, a growl rumbling in his throat.

 _(I **know**.) _ He rubs a hand over his face and a tired acceptance washes through the kin-connection. _(But we’re not going to hurt you. We swear on Mother-sea that no one is going to hurt you here.)_

Why should he believe them? _(Then why am I bound?)_ He grabs the metal rope and shakes it at Sam to emphasize his point. _(To make sure that I don’t escape? That makes me your **prisoner**!)_

After a moment of staring at him, Sam nods and looks down at his hands. _(In a sense, I suppose.)_ He takes a deep breath and looks up at Castiel again. _(But you’re a long ways from your territory. We picked a place that’s away from our camps too, but we don’t want you slipping out and getting caught. That could actually get you **killed**.)_

Even though he could easily eat more, Castiel is being made sick to his stomach with this conversation. Everything he just ate feels like it’s pushing up against the back of his throat. It’s disgusting and he has officially lost his appetite.  He ties the bag of fish up again and gives it a toss. It lands partway between him and Sam. If they intend for him to have what’s left, then it is still within reach. Otherwise, Sam can just take it.

But there are other things that Castiel wants to know and he can only hope that these fang-fin will actually answer the questions. _(How did I get here?)_

 _(That’s a bit longer of an answer.)_ Sam twists to look over his shoulder, gesturing at the females. _(Jo should tell that story. She’s the one who found you.)_

Castiel’s lip curls. She’s also the one who slammed his head into a rock while he was panicking instead of simply making the kin-connection with him and explaining what was going on. At the moment, she is not one of his most favourite of fang-fin in the room. He also doesn’t want to have to make the kin-connection with her. After denying him before, why should he allow her to have it now? That bitter, angry part of him is what keeps him from saying anything.

To his surprise, Sam turns back after Jo swims forward to rest on her tail next to him. So far, none of the fang-fin have actually curled their tails to sit on them. They seem capable for folding it in places and sitting on that, but is it possible that they don’t have the same kind of flexibility as Castiel’s colony does? Does that have to do with their muscles or are their skeletons different too? He realizes with a start what he’s doing and he shoves those thoughts from his head. He isn’t supposed to be interested in them. That’s what made this war worse for him in the first place.

Sam puts a hand on Jo’s shoulder. _(She’s going to speak through my connection with you. I hope you understand that we’re not exactly all jumping to make the link with a bright-fin.)_

What is _that_ supposed to mean? Castiel narrows his eyes but holds his thoughts at bay. While he has the kin-connection with Sam, it would be best that he not say anything that might upset them. Lilith’s promise is still singing along the back of his mind. He has never been the subject of an assault through the kin-connection, but he’s been told that they’re extremely painful and have the potential of leaving him mentally unsound.

Hearing Jo speak through Sam’s is almost the same as though she were speaking herself. Sam shares what she says to him as soon as he receives it, much like how Castiel can use the kin-connection to see what others are seeing if they’re willing to share it.

 _(I’ll make this quick because I’m getting the feeling that you don’t like me too much right now.)_ Jo’s thoughts come through Sam just as fast as she’s giving them. She must want this over with too. _(Totally understandable, by the way. Mom yelled at me the whole way back here for doing that.)_ Her mother must scorn her again because she rolls her eyes and waves her hand over her shoulder.

_(Anyways, so. We had the big battle the other day and –)_

Castiel’s fans flare in surprise. _(The other day?)_ He glances between her and Sam. _(How long have I been unconscious? When was the fight?)_

 _(It’s midday now. The last battle we had with the bright-fin was – well, it wasn’t yesterday evening. The evening before?)_ Sam looks at Jo to confirm and she nods. _(About a day and a half, then. More than that? No wonder you were so hungry.)_

That’s almost enough to make Castiel close the kin-connection. He never returned from that battle, but the three he had been fighting did. There is no doubt in his mind that his entire garrison must think him dead. Which means that his family would know by now too. Tears burn in his eyes and he has to bite back a sob. He has to keep face in front of the fang-fin. After they’re gone, he can dwell on what his siblings must be going through right now.

After shaking his head to compose himself again, Castiel nods to Jo but speaks to Sam. _(Continue.)_

 _(Oh-kay...)_ She blinks at him slowly before shifting uncomfortably. _(Well, as I was saying, we weren’t a part of that battle, but I was there when everyone was coming back from that fight and I overheard some of the others boasting about how they took out swirly-blue. That’s you, by the way. Or, that’s how we know you, at least.)_ She points a webbed finger at his tail and the glow pattern on it. _(They were totally convinced that those rocks had dragged you down to the bottom of that giant crack in the ground and that it was enough to kill you.)_

 _(Obviously it wasn’t.)_ Sam points out.

Jo jabs him in the ribs with the fin curving out behind her elbow before she continues. _(I told Sam and the others and we heading out to go looking for you.)_

 _(Why?)_ Amazingly, Castiel is actually thankful for this story. If he wasn’t so curious to learn how he got here, he might never be able to pay attention to what Jo is saying. It’s a good distraction to keep himself from thinking about how yesterday his brothers and sister would have sang a song of mourning for him.

 _(Because they had no proof.)_ A wide grin splits Jo’s lips, flashing her sharp fangs at him. _(They swam away after you went down and they never bothered to check that you were actually dead. Someone had to make sure, y’know.)_

His eyes narrow and the spines of his side-fans widen slightly, flexing away from his head. _(What’s so important about making sure that I was dead or alive?)_

 _(In the not-so-great-for-you type of scenario, you would’ve been dead and then we’d at least be able to tell Sam’s brother that you were out of the picture for good. He kind of hates you.)_ She shrugs and tilts her head to the side. _(But lucky for us, we all ended up with the best case scenario. You were alive! Which meant we were able to bring you back here for this nice little chat.)_

Well isn’t that just _lovely_. Castiel rubs his hand over his face and winces. His lip is split. How did he miss that? With a sigh, he touches the tip of his tongue to the split, feeling it out while he thinks. They want to _talk_. Why would a fang-fin want to talk after what Lilith said and especially after everything their colony has done here? What do they want to talk about? What _is_ there to talk about?

So many questions are filling his head and though the distraction is welcome, Castiel has one that bothers him. He turns his eyes back to Sam. _(I don’t know your brother.)_

That actually draws a sharp laugh from him. _(Of course you don’t. To you he’s probably just another fang-fin. But to him, you’re swirly-blue and the bane of his battlefield existence. You’re the first one who started doing rescue teams, right?)_ When Castiel nods, he continues. _(You were the first to stop him from killing a bright-fin. Ever since then, you’ve either had a hand in stopping him from carrying out a fight to the end, or your teams have. He **really** doesn’t like that.)_

Castiel has no idea who Sam’s brother is, but he’s already decided that he doesn’t like him. _(Please correct me if I’m wrong, but your brother is angry at me for stopping him from killing my kin?)_

That makes everyone except for the older female wince. She continues to stare at Castiel coolly, as if her expression were set in stone. How much death and bloodshed has she seen to not be affected by something like that? It’s disgusting and Castiel’s snarl is directed just as much towards her as it is the others, including Sam’s brother – wherever he might be.

 _(Why am I **here**?) _ He shoves the thought through the kin-connection, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to make Sam flinch. _(Why did you rescue me only to trap me here?)_

 _(Because we want to talk to you.)_ Sam’s voice slides through their narrowed link slowly, as if he’s cautious of sharing it now.

Yes, he already said that before. But _what_ do they want to talk about? Why now? _(Your **Council** made it perfectly clear that they don’t want to talk with us. Not at the meeting between our Councils and not every time after when we’ve sent a messenger to request another.)_

That seems to catch the attention of all four of them. In a flurry of fins and hair, Jess and Ellen swim forward to sit closer. Both Sam and Jo are leaning forward on their hands. They all look absolutely riveted by Castiel’s outburst. And, if he didn’t know any better, he’d say that they all look rather angry. He can’t tell for sure when all of Sam’s emotions are locked away again. But what could they possibly have to be angry about? They’re the ones who wanted this war in the first place.

Sam’s hands curl into fists on the floor and Castiel almost misses it in the light of his glow. _(What did they tell you?)_ Even with his emotions hidden, the thoughts come through the kin-connection as harsh and jagged things. _(What **really** happened at that meeting?)_

His fans twitch with the urge to spread out in surprise but Castiel schools himself into composure. It makes his everything ache, but he ignores it. He’s found something far more interesting. The way Sam is asking – the way that they’re all acting – it’s almost as if they don’t know what happened. Didn’t their Council tell the colony afterward? Or did Alistair, Lilith, and Abaddon not share the conversation like Michael and the others did?

To be honest, Castiel had his suspicions. No, he had _hopes_. There’s no way an _entire_ colony would be so willing to wage war against another. But he hadn’t actually expected this. Is it really possible that the fang-fin colony might have been _lied_ to? Some might know the truth, but these four obviously do not – if their reactions are anything to go by.

This changes _everything_.

* * *

 

One of the worst feelings in the world, in Dean’s finely crafted opinion, is loneliness. He hates it. He hates everything about it. And he especially hates experiencing it himself – specifically with waking up alone. Unfortunately, ever since he had that fight with Sam, it’s been nothing _but_ loneliness. Oh, sure, it’s all well and good that he gets along with the rest of the colony now – more or less. But they’re not all his friends and they’re _definitely_ not his family.

Dean is lucky to have both of those. His friends are awesome and he’d do pretty much anything for his baby brother. He and Sam have been together since day one. Same nest and only four days apart. Right from the get go it was the two of them and their parents. And soon after that it was just them. For most of their childhood all they had was each other. Sure, Dean had Sam, but he still felt lonely. What kid doesn’t when their whole damn colony is treating them like garbage?

Well, not the _whole_ colony. Bobby was friends with their parents long before Dean and Sam came along. He took them in when Azazel decided to fuck up their whole family. Only Mother-sea knows why it was _them_ he chose, but it’s a damn good thing that the bastard is dead and gone. He was crazy as anything and _he_ would have been the one to drive this colony to extinction. Not mom and not dad. But no, things couldn’t be that nice for them. Azazel ruined everything and Dean and Sam ended up with Bobby.

On all accounts, Bobby was the closest thing to family that Dean had outside of Sam. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make friends for either of them. He couldn’t make people stop seeing them as the children of _those two_. Well, screw them! Dean didn’t want to be friends with anyone anyways. Not when they were just going to bad talk his parents in front of him or behind his back. Too bad it took him so long to realize that Bobby wasn’t the only one who was friends with his mom and dad. Ellen was too and at least she raised Jo right.

Jo hasn’t ever said a bad word about mom and dad. Neither has Jess, even though her parents were some of the ones who kind of believed everything Azazel said. All the adults back then were stupid. With the exception of a few. But a few against hundreds – well, they couldn’t do much at all when Azazel called for mom and dad to be forced from the Council. They had barely even left their positions before Alistair and Lilith were swimming in to take their places.

Abaddon is the only one who’s was a part of mom and dad’s council. She never _officially_ picked sides when Azazel turned on them, but she’s smart. No, more than that – she’s _terrifying_. Even Crowley is scared of her and he’s the only one who actually came forward to take Azazel’s place when that dumb dickhead finally bit off more than he could chew. There are some kinds of creatures in the deep that _all_ fin-kin avoid fighting, and the big squids are one of them. Sharks are _easy_ compared to those. Anything with tentacles spells out death for whatever they manage to wrap themselves around.

Sometimes Dean wishes that he was the one who had killed Azazel. He was strong, but if Dean challenged him now, he’s sure that he’d be able to take him in a fight. Once upon a time, Dean actually did try that. Bobby was the one who stopped him. Really, Dean owes Bobby so much. More than he even really knows. It’s a real shame that they don’t spend more time together – especially since Sam went and dicked off somewhere with Jess after their fight and he hasn’t even been back to their sleeping area since then.

But as much as Dean would like to spend more time with Bobby, he can never actually seem to _find_ him. Every time he goes looking for someone – for anyone, really – they’re always gone. Dean figures that they’re out hunting, or maybe they’re training against someone else in mock fights. All of his friends are in his division and he commands them on the battlefield under the order for their captain, so they wouldn’t be called out onto the battlefield without him knowing about it.

Maybe all his friends are missing because they’re all with each other? Charlie likes to hang out with Kevin and Ash, so those three could be off poking around in the area. They like to explore under the pretense of keeping an eye out for any bright-fin that might be trying to sneak attack their colony. To be fair, they actually _are_ looking out for that. It’s just that that’s not _all_ that they’re doing while they’re out there. Sometimes Jo goes with them, sometimes she doesn’t. Mostly, she tends to stick with Ellen, and Ellen usually sticks with Bobby.

It’s totally possible that those three could be off doing whatever it is that families do. Bobby did his best with raising Sam and Dean, but he and Ellen didn’t mate until long after Jo was born. By then, Dean and Sam were old enough to be taking care of themselves. Ellen doesn’t like to share about what happened to the rest of her nest, or to the mate that she had Jo with. Dean has learned not to ask. He figures the eggs and Jo’s dad were just a part of the casualties that the colony has had on the long trek that brought them to here.

Actually, it’s kind of a surprise that Jo and Ellen don’t hate him and Sam for that – if that’s really what happened. Out of everyone Dean knows, those two would have every right to never want to associate with him. After all, according to Azazel, all of this is the fault of Dean’s family. It’s complete and utter fishshit, but it’s what the colony believes and it’s what he’s been fighting against his whole damn life.

With a groan, Dean banks hard to the right to turn back the way he came. See, _this_ is the reason that he likes having Sam around. There are plenty of other reasons too, but this is one of the main ones. Sam is really good at keeping Dean distracted enough that he doesn’t end up thinking about all this shit that’s been haunting their family for generations. It never really caused a problem for them before Azazel came along and decided to try and get Abaddon in on his dumb ideas.

He tries not to think about it while he heads back to the sleeping areas, calling out echoes every so often to look for Sam. But it’s really hard to stop thinking when he’s got nothing else to distract him. Back when Azazel was setting up to destroy his family, Dean was too young to really understand what was happening. Everything he knows about what happened when he was a kid is what Bobby has told him. All he really remembers is that people were mad at his parents and one day mom and dad weren’t there anymore.

Politics was above Dean then and they’re above him now. He has no plans to be on the Council in this lifetime so he really doesn’t need to know it as far as he’s concerned. All that he needs to know to get by is how to fight and how to survive. That and some hard work should hopefully be enough to get him and his family back into the favour of the Council – and, by extension, the rest of the colony. So far, Dean’s actually been doing pretty well with that. There’s even been talk of another promotion for him coming in the near future.

That makes his heart skip for a moment and he takes the chance to swim a loop-de-loop. He hopes – oh sweet Mother-sea does he _hope_ – that those aren’t just rumours. If he could be promoted to _captain_ and be in charge of his own division, then the rest of the colony would _have_ to start respecting him soon, right? There are more and more who look up to him as a good fighter after every battle, but it’s still not _everyone_ yet. The time for that won’t be too far off, hopefully. Soon enough, no one is going to be looking down on him or his baby brother or any of the possible future kids either of them might have. Dean is going to make sure of that.

Speaking of kids, maybe that’s where Sam is? Dean actually laughs at that thought and that catches a few glances from the guards he passes. It’s totally possible that Sam and Jess left early to have some fun time together all on their own. Those two have been getting closer to each other by the day. Dean’s most treasured possessions are a collection of knick-knacks that he’s collected from all the sunken floating-reefs that used to belong to the two-tails. He would bet every last one of them that by the time this war is over, Sam will be hunting down the biggest damn pearl he can find to give to her.

Once Sam proposes, it’s only a matter of time until the next mating season. And when that hits, Dean might actually get to be an _uncle_. That’s pretty much the most awesome thing ever and he can hardly wait. It’s going to be a long time yet before Dean has any little ones of his own. He doesn’t plan on finding a mate or participating in any mating season any time soon. At the moment, his focus is entirely set on getting back everything that his family has lost with the colony. And for that he needs to fight – fight and win and repeat the process all over again until the war is won.

Well there’s his anger back again. Great. A growl rumbles in Dean’s throat and he’s half tempted to stop looking for Sam and just head out to the fishing grounds alone so he can work off his anger with eating the spoils of a hunt. He wouldn’t _be_ getting angry if Sam wasn’t making things _harder_ for him. Here Dean is, working himself to the bone trying to win back the respect of their colony, and Sam is off doing Mother-sea knows what. Seriously. For the last several days it’s almost like he’s been actively _trying_ to sabotage everything that Dean’s worked so hard to do for the last season.

The familiar curve of Sam’s massive tail returns in Dean’s echoes and he huffs water through his gills. Speaking of little brothers, there he is. And, sure enough, he’s with Jess. Those two are never far apart. If Dean wasn’t hoping to be an uncle one day, he might actually be annoyed that it used to be _him_ and Sam who were inseparable. Luckily, he’s long passed that point in their relationship. Right now, he’s more miffed that they’re coming back from the hunting area and they’re both carrying kelp bags that are absolutely bulgingwith fish.

Is Sam mad at him enough for their last fight that he won’t even go hunting with Dean anymore?

Slowly, he swims towards them, his tail sweeping back and forth behind him while he glides over and around the rocks. Dean searches their minds out in the kin-connection, filtering away the general noise of the rest of the colony. Another claw of irritation lodges itself in his chest when he finds that both of their minds are sealed away in private conversation. They’re allowed their privacy, but it’s pretty annoying to be shut out _again_.

His ruffled scales are soothed slightly when they both open to his touch as soon as they realize it’s him. Sam glances around until Dean rises out of the rocks to join them. _(Dean!)_ Well, at least he _sounds_ happy to see him. _(Where have you been?)_

 _(I was just about to ask you that.)_ Dean forces his lip not to curl to show how unhappy he is and tries to keep as much of that feeling out of the kin-connection as he can. _(I was **sleeping** like any normal fin-kin would be. It’s stupidly early, you guys. I can’t believe that you already went hunting.)_ He leaves off the ‘ _without me_ ’, but he can tell they both know it just by the way that they won’t look at him.

Jess fidgets with the bag drifting under her, passing it from one hand to the other. _(We couldn’t sleep.)_

It takes a lot not to actually groan. Dean knows exactly where this conversation is going. _(Let me guess. The **war** was keeping you up, huh?)_

He’s not trying to be insensitive, but they’re _fang-fin_. Fighting has been a part of their blood since the birth of their breed. Yes, all this killing and the blood on his hands bothers him when he stops to think about it. Which is why he _doesn’t_ do that. Why can’t his friends just shut off that part of themselves until their colony has won? It’s not that big of a deal to start with. The bright-fin are glowing dickheads anyways because they declared war instead of just sharing the area like the Council asked them to.

Unsurprisingly, his questions only gets annoyed flares through the kin-connection from both Sam and Jess. She shares a brief look with Sam before huffing water loudly through her gills and turning away. Dean flinches slightly when she drops the kin-connection with him without another word. He wouldn’t be surprised if Sam has told her about their fight from a few days ago. This is just one great big mess and Dean doesn’t want to admit that he’s kind of worried it’s going to drive a rift between him and the few friends that he actually has.

Sam turns a glare on him, annoyance vibrating along all the channels joining them together. _(There is nothing wrong with wanting to talk to our so-called **enemies** , Dean.)_

Do they really have to go through this _again_? _(Yes, there **is**.)_ Dean rolls his eyes and turns away. He’s going to need to hunt to work out how annoyed he is. _(You **know** that we’re not allowed to. The Council made it clear that if we make the kin-connection with any of the bright-fin, they’re going to mess up our heads using it.)_

 _(But how do you know that for **certain**?)_ He presses, since clearly Sam isn’t ready to let this go. _(Because the Council said so? You’re just going to trust them on that?)_ Sam drops the bag of fish and swims around until he’s nose to nose with Dean again. _(Don’t forget. It’s the **Council** that messed up our family, Dean. Azazel might be gone, but Abaddon was still there. We all know she was on his side, whether she said it or not. Alistair and Lilith were on his side too before that squid did him in. Crowley doesn’t give a shit about it, but he’d side with them in a heartbeat and you know it.)_ His upper lip pulls back in a snarl. _(He’ll do anything to keep his precious **status** – which, by the way, is just about the only thing you seem to care about nowadays.)_

That stings and Dean turns away again. He knows those are good reasons. He’s thought them himself more than once over the last season. But then he puts them right back out of his mind again. Thinking is just going to ruin absolutely everything that he’s been working so hard for right now. Fang-fin fight. It’s what they’ve always done. And yet… sometimes he can’t sleep because what he’s done on the battlefield haunts him. It’s a fight to try and let those lives go.

If he doesn’t think about them, then he won’t have to worry about what they’ve cost him.

He needs to focus on the _good_ that’s going to be coming out of this war. For the first time in forever, there are actually fin-kin in this colony who are proud of him – and they’re not his friends or his family. There are fang-fin who actually _admire_ him for his performance on the battlefield and it’s an amazing feeling to know that even some of the young ones are looking up to him because of the stories told among the others about what he’s been doing.

As much as he loves his friends and Sam, there’s just something _different_ about having other people praising him for the only stuff he really seems to be any good at. The colony is slowly, but surely, accepting that he _isn’t_ a waste of space and Dean wants to keep that. He wants to be able to give the same feeling to Sam somehow and it feels like Dean’s pulling teeth with trying to get him and the others to see that too.

The anger pulsing through the kin-connection ebbs suddenly, replaced with a tired ghost of itself. _(We’re losing this war, Dean.)_ Sam sighs and slips away to pick up his bag again. _(Whether we win it or not, we’re going to lose.)_

That’s the last thing Sam says before he lets the link between them drop back into the normal buzz of the colony’s conversation. Dean doesn’t stop him from leaving. After all, Sam has a duty to do. He needs to take that bag to the ones in charge of handing them out to everyone who can’t hunt or doesn’t feel like it. But that doesn’t change how Dean’s stomach drops so hard that it actually _hurts_. Normally he’d lump that feeling in with hunger and go eat it away. Hunting and eating usually gets his mind off most upsetting things and right now he most definitely is upset.

Dean doesn’t like fighting with his brother. He doesn’t like fighting with his friends either. As a fang-fin, he loves a good brawl just as much as the next fin-kin, but this isn’t the kind of fight he’s used to. This isn’t the kind he’s _good_ at. Dean can’t just shut his brain off and let his body do the work. This involves words and thinking and those are both things he’s just not very good at – or, at least not in the way that it matters right now. Especially when he knows he’s swimming in the wrong current with the wrong people in this particular situation.

But this is what he needs to do. If he ever wants things to be right again for his family, then he’s the one who’s got to do the dirty work. It’s better than leaving it to Sam, or to whatever hatchlings he has with Jess. Dean refuses to let this colony look down on his family anymore. He just hopes this war ends before he winds up losing everyone he actually gives a shit about.

With a groan, he rubs his hands over his face and turns to go the way Sam and Jess were coming from. He’s upset and he needs to hunt and eat. Hopefully he’ll be able to fill his belly and empty his head all at the same time. It’s only a temporary fix, but what other choice does he have?

*

The call for battle comes out to the hunting fields while Dean is in the middle of eating what is technically his lunch now, but he’s been out here all morning so it’s all the same to him. Thank Mother-sea and curse her for it. He’s never been happier for a fight to distract him and he’s never been _this_ unhappy about it at the same time. Every time he goes out there and fights with the single minded determination to win and to prove himself, the gap between him and Sam gets a little bigger. At the same time, the chasm their family had between them and the colony gets a little smaller. And one day, it won’t be there at all. When it is, Dean hopes that he won’t have lost everything he was fighting to help.

Today’s battle goes surprisingly well. Dean fights the same as he always does, but there’s a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that something about this fight is different. For one, it’s _easier_. He can usually manage to kill one bright-fin per battle before those damn rescue teams become too much of a problem. Today, he kills _two_. The bright-fin are completely off their game. They’re not as well coordinated as they usually are and Dean doesn’t see swirly-blue or hear a peep about him in the kin-connection from anyone.

It leaves him curious, but he forces himself not to care. Maybe someone finally did swirly-blue in? Dean’s division wasn’t a part of yesterday’s surprise battle, so it’s entirely possible that someone finally caught that glowing bastard. And since Dean doesn’t talk with the rest of the colony a whole bunch, it wouldn’t be a surprise that he didn’t hear anything about it. He likes to keep to himself and he’s pretty sure that Sam and their friends would have told him something like this as soon as they heard it - unless they’re being bastards and hiding even more stuff from him.

There’s something else bugging him, but Dean can’t quite put his finger on it. Not when most of his attention is focused on making sure that everyone who made it to the fight is where they’re supposed to be. Plus, he’s got his own safety to worry about. Though, with the state of the bright-fin today, that doesn’t feel like it’s something he has to worry about too much. The bright-fin are still managing to hold their own and that irks Dean. After a season, he’d have thought that a fancy looking breed like the bright-fin might’ve given up by now.

The fight drags on for ages and Dean loves the burn in his muscles by the time someone spreads the call for a retreat. Nothing beats the hum of adrenaline in his veins, but Dean is still pretty thankful that they’re done for the day. There was something off about today and it was making it hard to completely focus on what he was doing. He did his best, and that’s all that matters. You’d think that having fought hard like he did would manage to earn him up enough good karma to keep leeches like Meg off his back, but they’ve barely even left the battlefield before she’s swooping down to swim annoying circles up and under him.

Her thoughts brush against his and Dean rolls his eyes at them. _(It was easier today, don’t you think?)_

He ignores her. There’s enough time left in the day for him to hunt up something more to eat before he should get some sleep. And he should probably find Sam and work on their relationship a little. It’s fractured right now and he hates having it hanging over him like this. Maybe Dean should apologize and try to explain _why_ he’s doing what the Council tells him to. Sam already knows why, but Dean has the feeling that he doesn’t actually _understand_.

Meg continues to follow him. _(You can thank Ruby, Tom, and Brady for how easy it went today, by the way.)_ She pulls ahead of him to flip onto her back and swim backwards for a bit. _(They’re the ones who got rid of swirly-blue for us.)_

That brings Dean to a dead stop. _( **What**?)_

His surprise crackles through the kin-connection and Meg actually grins at it, her amusement bouncing right back at him. _(You really don’t know? Wow, you and your little group of friends sure do keep to yourselves.)_ She rolls backwards in a circle to come up again to face him. _(Half the colony must know by now except for **you**.)_

Dean’s lip twitches in annoyance. _(Know **what** , Meg?)_

 _(You know the battle the other day? Well, it turns out that swirly-blue went and pissed off all three of them and they had enough. Figured he wasn’t good enough to deal with all three of them at the same time and they set their sights on taking him down.)_ Oh joy, she’s going for the _long_ version of the story. _(He thought it was a good idea to lead them off somewhere, but they one-upped him and knocked a whole rockslide down on his head. It dragged him right down into the deeps of some big ol’ crack in the seafloor.)_ Meg laughs and starts swimming away. _(He’s as dead as your breakfast!)_

That doesn’t make Dean feel as good as he always thought that it would. He follows after her, pulling at her mind to keep her focused on him. _(But did they see the body? Are they **certain**?)_

All she does is shrug and spare him a glance when he swims up beside her. _(They saw him get hit and go down. Ruby was pretty damn certain he’s dead. What more do you want?)_

A body would be nice. If they had a body, then he could be absolutely positive that swirly-blue won’t be coming back to be a major pain in his tail ever again. Either way, this does make him slightly happier than he was at the beginning of today’s battle. Hopefully the bright-fin are going to take a while to recover. Swirly-blue must have meant something to them if his death was all it took to ruffle their scales bad enough to affect their fighting today.

This might not be the type of news that Sam would be happy to hear, but it could be a turning point in the war. It could mean that things are going to be _over_ soon and that’s something Dean wants to share with him. By now, Sam must be back at their sleeping area, right? Even if he’s not going to sleep there tonight, they still usually meet there after a battle if they don’t find each other sooner. It’s always a nervous, nail-biting period for Dean when he has to wait. He doesn’t like thinking that something might have happened to his baby brother on the battlefield.

Today just really isn’t his day, apparently. The shelf they’ve been sleeping under is empty. Night is fast approaching and they barely have enough time for a late supper before they should be going to sleep. Why isn’t Sam here? Where is he? Did something happen to him during the batt– Dean’s questioning stops short as the realization hits him. That other nagging feeling he had distracting him for the whole fight was about Sam. _He wasn’t there_.

With his tail folded under him, Dean sits on the floor of their sleeping spot and picks through his memories of the battle. He’s absolutely _positive_ that Sam wasn’t there. He can’t remember giving him a single order throughout the whole fight. Worry starts gnawing along the bottom of Dean’s stomach. Where could he have been then? It’s not that uncommon that someone doesn’t show up for a battle. There’s a whole bunch of reason for why. For example, it’s entirely possible that Sam was outside of the range of the call and didn’t know that their team was going into a fight today.

But Sam hasn’t missed a fight yet. Why now? Is it because of their spat this morning and the other day? Usually they always go into battle together so they can watch each other’s backs, no matter what they’re feeling. That argument with Sam earlier is the only reason that Dean didn’t wait for him before heading into the fray all on his own. He should have waited, but he didn’t, so he’ll accept the blame for that one. But shouldn’t Sam have been in the middle of the colony with the fish-givers when about the time when the call went out?

Did something happen to him? Did he not hear the summons or did he actively ignore it? What about Jess? Dean can’t remember seeing or talking to her either. Ellen and Jo were out there today, and so was Bobby. Charlie was beside him the whole time and he’s pretty sure Kevin and Ash were there too. No, they definitely were. He can remember telling them that there was a team sneaking up on their tails. But _Sam_ was missing. Was he with Jess? Where were they?

The disagreement they had earlier doesn’t matter anymore. Dean isn’t even angry that they missed the battle. All he has swimming tight circles in his chest right now is a school of worry-fish and they’re only getting more agitated with every minute that passes. His baby brother isn’t where he’s supposed to be and Dean _needs_ to find him. He needs to find him _right now_. Hopefully one of the others might have seen him before they all headed into the fight.

Dean darts out from under the shelf and starts calling out sound the moment he clears the rocks. If they’re not at their own sleeping spots then maybe they’re heading to it. His echoes will let him know if they’re anywhere nearby. At least, that’s what they _should_ be doing. But he starts doubting that when he finds one empty sleeping spot after another. Everyone is missing. Mother-sea, where the heck is everyone? They can’t all have gone hunting this late, could they?

Which would mean that they all ditched him again. After all, they’ve got all these _feelings_ about the war that no one has shared with him. They’re edging him out of the group or something and it’s making Dean queasy. He can’t tell if he should be angry or not. A part of him is just flat out _hurt_. The rest of him is this empty feeling that feels a whole lot like blame – and it’s not all directed at them, either. Dean’s at fault here too, but that doesn’t mean being excluded doesn’t hurt any less.

When another’s touch ghosts along the edge of his mind, Dean’s heart jumps. His first hope is that it’s Sam, but he knows within seconds that it’s not. That isn’t his brother’s touch. He turns to find Astaroth approaching from behind. She’s one of Lilith’s lackeys and barely a fang-fin at all. Astaroth is more like a sucker-fish, attached to Lilith at all times of the day. What could she be doing here?

She circles him once before heading back the way she came. _(The Council wants to see you.)_

Well shit. There goes his plans to look for Sam – and he doesn’t like having to give up on that at the moment. That’s more important to him than anything the Council could have to say. What the hell do they want with him now?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(Careful, baby brother.)_ He rights himself before he ends up rolling onto his back-fin and getting uncomfortable. _(I might just have to remind you about why I’m the big brother.)_ It’s been a long time since they wrestled, but Dean’s pretty sure he could still take Sam on – even if he did grow up to be bigger than him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar) | ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin)

There is absolutely nothing even remotely comforting about swimming into the rocky forest that the Council has declared their own and finding Abaddon, Lilith and Crowley waiting for him. Dean counts his lucky pearls that it’s only three of them. If it was all four, that would have meant shit was about to go down and he’s not sure if he could have handled that. It’s _very_ rare that all four members of the Council are present for meetings about something as simple as what Dean hopes this one will be.

He doesn’t really know or care about where Alistair might be. Though Dean probably wouldn’t be too far off if he guessed that he was off somewhere overseeing arrangements for another strike against the bright-fin’s borders. They’ve been doing them in frequent group bursts, hoping to weaken their resolve – or something like that. Whatever Alistair is up to, Dean couldn’t give a shit about it if he tried. If they’re getting ready for another fight, then he’ll be there for it like always.

Though that isn’t mutually exclusive to whether or not he’d be _happy_ about having to fight again. What matters is that Dean will be there and he’ll do his job like he’s supposed to. Because that’s what he’s here for. He’s here to fight and win; to survive and grow stronger and get better; to drag his family back out of the lowest social rankings that the colony has dropped them into for things that weren’t the fault of his family. But sometimes the colony is just like a mindless swarm. They’ll go where they’re told, do what they’re told, and think what they’re told as long as it comes from their leaders. It’s fishshit, but what can Dean do about it? He’s already doing everything he _can_ do and that’s all there is to it.

But if this meeting is about what he hopes it’s about, he might be well on his way to reaching his goal. Dean crosses his fingers and wishes _really_ hard that this is the meeting that he’s been waiting for; the promotion to a new rank and some actual _change_ for him and the last remains of his family. All he wants is for this meeting to make everything he’s done and everything he’s losing be at least partially worth it. He wants it to get his family out of the depths they’ve been forced into so no one will look down on them again.

 _(Thank you, Astaroth.)_ Lilith practically purrs at her, dragging the tip of a claw under Astaroth’s chin after she approaches her. _(You may go now. I’ll call on you again if I need you.)_

Astaroth dips her head and slips away, disappearing between the rocks. Not even Dean’s echoes can make sense of the spires and crags. This whole area is covered with fields like this. Dean has seen them in several places around and _in_ the bright-fin territories every time that he’s gone scouting or been a part of an attack from another direction. Honestly, he kind of likes surprising them from the complete opposite direction that they usually come from. It always makes the bright-fin look panicky and it’s a good look on them. They get brighter than usual and all their movable fins flex wildly. The ruffled fins along their tails go insane.

It’s hilarious and Dean probably finds it too amusing for his own good.

He waits until all three of the Council Members have fully linked to him through the kin-connection before he dips his head in greeting. _(What can I do for our fine Council this late in the day?)_

 _(Look at him, trying to flatter us. Isn’t it adorable?)_ Lilith’s delight is chilling and a nervous knot twists in Dean’s throat as she swims towards him. _(You don’t need to do that, Dean. You’re already one of our favourites. Isn’t that right, Crowley?)_

 _(Absolutely.)_ He nods but he doesn’t move from the rock he’s sitting on. Crowley has always been an observer with eyes that see more than most – waiting and watching for the right time to strike.

Abaddon also looks like she’s playing it lazy today. One of the rocks in this patch has fallen over and she’s stretched out across it on her belly. That’s not nearly enough to make Dean drop his guard. She’s on the Council for a reason and it’s because she could rip him in two whenever she felt like it. These three are some of the best and strongest fighters in the colony. They had to _earn_ their positions through their own blood and tears. It’s admirable, but Dean doesn’t want to be a leader – at least not one for the whole colony. He’ll be satisfied with just a division or two under his command.

Pride still bubbles up in him at their words and he does his best to keep it from the kin-connection. It wouldn’t be good to keep it _all_ hidden. If he _wasn’t_ pleased by Lilith’s comment, they might take that as an insult. But they don’t need to know _exactly_ how happy that makes him. Being one of the Council’s favourites is nearly unheard of. They have their little minions that they treat better than others, but he’s never heard of any of them – someone like Astaroth, for example – being called a _favourite_.

Lilith circles to a stop and pushes a hand through Dean’s hair, mimicking the way her thoughts brush along the feelings he’s letting into the kin-connection. _(Good. You **should** feel like that. All the hard work you’ve been doing is well worth it, Dean.)_

 _(We don’t have very many who fight as often or as well as you do.)_ Crowley interjects as he folds his hands in his lap. _(That deserves a bit of a reward, don’t you think?)_

His heart starts spinning in his chest and Dean almost seals his gills to hold his breath. His excitement leaks into the kin-connection and he doesn’t care. Let them feel it. Let them know that he wants this and that he’s willing to do just about anything to get it. Please, let them get right to it. Dean wants this over with so he can go back and look for Sam. Thankfully, even though the Council is known to tease, they’re also known for getting right to the point. They’ve never been big fans of long winded meetings. After all, they all have their own things to do.

 _(It does.)_ Abaddon yawns and stretches out across her rock, turning onto her side slightly so she can use one hand to prop her head up. _(What do you think, Dean? Do **you** feel like you’ve earned what we’re about to give you?)_

 _(Well, that depends entirely on what that is.)_ Dean does his best not to sound _too_ cocky, but he can’t help grinning. The last thing he wants to do right now is annoy any of them and lose this opportunity. _(I can think of a few things, but I like being surprised.)_

Lilith laughs and cups his face between her hands. _(Aren’t you just **precious**? Were you aware that your current captain just isn’t doing as good a job as he used to?)_

Dean shakes his head to answer the question _and_ to get Lilith to move her hands. She likes to get into someone’s personal space just to mess with them. It unsettles them and puts them on guard. It’s one of her specialties and she’s _good_ at it. Right now, Dean is ready to swim as hard as he can to put as much space between the two of them as possible. There’s something about her that is just downright unnerving and he has no plans to ever find out what that something might be.

 _(He’s been doing a fine job, but you’ve been doing **better**.) _ Abaddon’s grin returns to Dean in his echoes and it nearly makes his heart stop. How can a fin-kin he’s known his whole life still manage to actually _scare_ him? It’s part of what makes this Council so good. They’re terrifying and no one wants to be the one to tell them ‘ _no_ ’.

 _(What do you say, Dean?)_ Lilith drifts close enough that they’re almost nose to nose, her eyes wide and dark, just like the water around them. _(How would **you** like to replace him? Don’t worry about his feelings. He knows our rules. He knows that this was always a possibility.)_

Crowley nods along, a smirk of his own drawing back his lips. _(It’s unfortunate that he just didn’t have the same drive that you do. You’re the kind of fin-kin we want leading our divisions on the battlefield.)_

 _(Only the very smartest will do.)_ Thankfully, Lilith pulls away, but not before she taps the end of Dean’s nose with a fingertip. _(The smartest and the strongest. And that’s you, Dean. You lead your team well and your tactics are magnificent. You deserve this promotion.)_

If he wasn’t in front of some of the most terrifying fang-fin in existence, Dean would be swimming in as many circles as he can without getting dizzy. Fang-fin aren’t exactly built for tight turns and fancy swimming, but there’s nothing that would stop him from at least trying. He’s _that_ happy about this right now. A _captain_. That’s amazing! It’s almost more than he actually hoped for. Oh wow, he could actually cry over this if given the opportunity.

 _(Thank you!)_ He folds at his stomach to actually bow to them all. _(I won’t let you down.)_

 _(You had better not.)_ There’s a weight to Abaddon’s thoughts that almost makes Dean want to curl up and hide under something for a very long time. She’s deadly serious and he can feel the same coming from Crowley and Lilith. If Alistair were here, he’d probably match them too.

Lilith floats back away from him, her hands treading the water while her tail barely moves. Any of her usual glee has dried up and left the kin-connection feeling barren and terrifying. _(We expect big things from you, Dean. Don’t disappoint us.)_

 _(I’ll do my best not to.)_ Dean dips his head, trying his hardest not to fidget under their eyes. He’s not sure what they want from him or expect from him, but he’ll be fish food before he does anything that’ll give them a reason to take this away. This is what he needs to help his family and he swears by Mother-sea that things will be _better_ for them from here on out.

As soon as he’s given the okay to leave, Dean is out of there as fast as he can go without being insulting to the Council. He’s practically trembling with excitement and if he knew where Sam was, he’d be going straight to him with the announcement of his promotion. But Sam is still missing and Dean is trying _really_ hard not to let that bring down his high from this good news. And that’s a really hard thing to do, because he’s still got worry gnawing away at his insides. Worry and about half a dozen different feelings that mostly stem from being annoyed with Sam.

Nope. He’s not going to think about that. If he focuses on how upset he is about the way this war is breaking up his relationship with his baby brother, it’s just going to sour all the good feelings he has about this promotion. Dean needs to keep himself in a happy place and think good thoughts, otherwise he’s going to end up being someone he doesn’t want to be. Yeah, he just has to remind himself that he’s doing this for his family – even if Sammy isn’t quite appreciative of all this hard work right now. He will later, when the war is done and Dean won’t have to be doing all the shit that makes him every bit the monster Sam thinks he’s becoming.

It’s actually a surprise to find Sam at their sleeping spot when he gets back. Dean was planning to check there again before looking for their friends to see if they’ve seen Sam and then kind of spiraling out from that point. But Sam is tucked away in the space beneath the shelf they’ve been sleeping under, curled on his side and looking for all the ocean like he’s sleeping. After spending their whole lives together, Dean can tell without the kin-connection that Sam is still wide awake.

The worry melts out of Dean and his whole body relaxes as he drifts under the shelf too. He rests on his belly and sighs happily as the link with his brother slides into place. Of course Sam is still mostly closed off from him, but he’s been like that for more days then Dean cares to count. But he’s _here_ and he’s alive and everything is right with the sea. Mostly. After all, there’s still that war and all the other shit that’s gathering between them.

 _(Hey Sammy.)_ He reaches out to touch Sam’s shoulder, knowing it’s completely unnecessary since he probably knew Dean was here before he even came under the shelf. _(Where were you today?)_

Sam turns over to face him, tail thumping against the rocks while he does it. _(Out with Jess.)_ There’s truth in the statement, but Dean can’t help the feeling that there’s more to it. Sam’s thoughts are coming through a net and he’s not getting everything. _(Sorry we weren’t in the fight. The call must have come right after we left the colony.)_

Dean shrugs. He props his chin up on his hands and gives Sam the most playful grin he’s got. _(Don’t worry about it. Shit like that happens all the time. You’re getting practice in for the mating season, huh?)_

Embarrassment floods the kin-connection and Sam rolls onto his stomach to tuck his face into his arms. _(I am **not** talking to you about that!)_

His grin gets bigger and Dean twists to knock his tail against Sam’s. _(Aw, c’mon! Who are you going to share the dirty details with if not for your only brother? I bet I’ve got some tips to share that Jess will absolutely **love**.)_ Technically, Dean hasn’t been with anyone since before the war, but he was damn good at it when he _was_ doing it.

 _(Mother-sea, no!)_ Sam actually shudders and his amusement tickles the kin-connection. It’s probably the best thing Dean’s ever felt, even if it’s trembling with false disgust. _(You remember how I told you I never want to hear about that? Yeah, that’s still in effect.)_

 _(Bo-o-o-oring.)_ Dean gives a loud, dramatic sigh and rolls onto his side to drape an arm over his eyes. _(You’re such a prude. How can you possibly be my brother? You must’ve come from another nest.)_

With a laugh, Sam reaches over to shove at him. _(You keep telling yourself that. It’s obvious that **you** were the one who came from a different nest!)_

 _(Careful, little brother.)_ He rights himself before he ends up rolling onto his back-fin and getting uncomfortable. _(I might just have to remind you about why **I’m** the big brother.)_ It’s been a long time since they wrestled, but Dean’s pretty sure he could still take Sam on – even if he did grow up to be bigger than him.

There’s a pause in the kin-connection that feels like Sam might actually be considering it. Eventually, he just sighs and shakes his head. _(No need to assert your dominance, Dean. I think I’m way too tired for that tonight. Today has been pretty draining.)_ His thoughts take on a gloomy edge that Sam quickly wraps up and hides behind the walls around his head. _(I’m just ready to sleep, actually.)_

 _(Does that mean you’re too tired to hear the good news?)_ Dean prods at the edges of Sam’s mind, letting his own bubbling excitement coast through the kin-connection. He can respect that Sam is tired – especially if he spent all day having fun with Jess – but he still wants to share his promotion with him.

That seems to perk Sam up a bit and he lifts his head to look at Dean. _(Depends… What’s the good news? You’re not going to tell me that **you** went and had some fun with a female today, are you? And you know that I don’t like hearing about your battlefield victories.)_

He shakes his head and sits up with his tail folded under him. _(This isn’t the first but it **is** slightly related to the second. Besides, you know I don’t tell you about how the fights go anymore. So you don’t even need to worry about it.)_

Sam’s curiosity tickles through the kin-connection and he pushes himself up onto his elbows. _(Well, what is it then?)_

In a rush of happiness and a healthy dose of excitement, Dean quickly explains how he was summoned to the Council. He shares the brief memories of how they praised him and he ends with the big news. _(And they’re making me **captain**! I’m going to have command over our whole division and not just our one little team. How awesome is that?)_

 _(That’s pretty awesome, Dean.)_ Sam obviously isn’t as pleased with this news as Dean is, but it’s basically expected of him. He wasn’t too happy about the promotion to being commander of their team either, probably because he knows exactly what Dean had to do to get there. _(Congratulations.)_ The happiness in the kin-connection is weak at best, but the pride Sam feels for him is one hundred percent genuine.

Even if Sam isn’t as enthusiastic about this as Dean is, it’s not enough to bring down how happy he is right now. _(Thanks!)_ If the space allowed it, he’d be doing flips. _(And since you weren’t at today’s battle and we weren’t out during yesterday’s, I’ve got more news for you. This might be the changing point that we need to take advantage of to end the war.)_

Sam definitely perks up at that. His attention is focused solely on Dean and it feels like forever since they last got to talk like it was just them. _(What happened today?)_

 _(Actually, it happened yesterday.)_ Dean shrugs and tries not to wonder why Sam’s gills have stopped fluttering. _(Meg had to tell me about it, but apparently Ruby and a couple others managed to take out Swirly-blue. If you had been in battle today, you’d know that it’s **definitely** affected the bright-fin somehow. They were all over the place. If we take advantage of this and press into their territory more and more, this could be over within – I don’t know, a couple dozen days, maybe?)_

He isn’t expecting Sam to shut off every part of his mind without actually closing their link. Any emotions that had been in the kin-connection are gone before Dean can even feel any of them. He’s not smiling either. If Dean had to guess, he’d say that Sam isn’t as happy about this news as Dean is. Which is weird, because Sam _knows_ how much Swirly-blue was messing things up for all of them. He’s well aware about what a big problem Swirly-blue was and he should at least be somewhat happy that things are finally hitting a turning point.

Those damn rescue teams of his were taking out the injured and leaving behind healthy bright-fin and for a while there it was impossible to make any headway. They get deeper and deeper into the bright-fin territory every battle, but those teams were making it more difficult than it should have been. This is their opening and they need to take advantage of it before the bright-fin regroup enough to find someone else to take over Swirly-blue’s position within their colony.

 _(Don’t even try to hide from me.)_ Dean slides a little closer under their shelf, poking and pulling at the edges of Sam’s mind. _(What’s chewing your tail this time? I thought you’d be **happy** to hear that the war might be over soon?)_

Sam shakes his head and turns over again, putting his back to Dean. _(It’s nothing.)_

 _(Liar.)_ Of course he’s lying. And he’s hiding something too. That’s the only reason he would shut Dean out like this. _(Seriously, Sam. What’s wrong? I know you don’t like this war. I don’t either. But I –)_

 _(You’re asking me to be happy that someone **died** , Dean.)_ He hunches his shoulders and folds his tail up to his chest. _(Even if he was our enemy, I can’t feel like you feel.)_

And that’s where Sam is wrong. Dean _isn’t_ happy that Swirly-blue is dead. Well, not like he thought he would be. He’s been a pain in his tail for most of the season, but he was just doing his job same as Dean was. What’s got Dean happy is that he’s seeing this as an opportunity. This is something they can use to end the war. Because that’s his next big goal too. He’s a captain of an entire division now. It’s practically an _elite_ position and there aren’t many more ranks between him and the Council. He can be happy with this, but he wants Sam happy too. And ending the war is looking to be the only way to do that.

Which means that this isn’t something they should be fighting about right now. It’s hard, because Dean wants Sam to see things from his point of view, but this isn’t the time to push for it. Right now, it’s late. They both need their sleep and maybe they can talk about this again tomorrow.

 _(Never mind.)_ Dean sighs and turns over to put his back to him too. _(We can talk more about it in the morning, if you want.)_

_(Yeah.)_

Without his emotions in the kin-connection, Dean can’t tell if Sam is just acknowledging him or if he’s agreeing. It’s kind of aggravating, but he forces himself to let it go. _(G’night, Sam.)_

*

Dean is not the most patient of fin-kin in the ocean. In fact, he’s probably right up there among the _least_ patient. It varies, but most of the time he’d rather get something done immediately then let it continue to fester. Right now, his talk with Sam feels like it’s boiling under his skin. He wants to try and explain _why_ things aren’t as bad as Sam is making them out to be, but it’s getting pretty damn hard to find a time for them to actually have that discussion.

As a captain, Dean has a few things to learn about all his new responsibilities. And he has to learn it all in a much shorter time frame than most. Half of his learning is being done on the battlefield where he has to have control over an entire division and the various commanders who manage the teams within it. At the same time, he needs to be out there fighting with the bright-fin and continuing to do the job he’s been best at since this war started. On top of that, there are a ton of things he needs to be in control of with his division outside of the battlefield and that eats up a lot of his day.

Between that and how closed off Sam has been recently, Dean really only sees him in the morning and when they’re going to sleep. By then, he’s basically exhausted and most of the time Dean is asleep before Sam. And things are really not at all helped by how Sam is being a secretive bastard. And it’s not just him. It’s Jess and Bobby and basically everyone else that Dean knows. If they think that he hasn’t noticed every single time they’ve swam off on their own without a word to him, then they _really_ need to bone up on their observation skills.

For a good handful of days after Dean’s promotion, he catches sight of Sam leaving with Jess or others for a little while every day. Sometimes it’s just the two of them, sometimes it’s three, sometimes Jess isn’t even there. They always head towards the fishing grounds and they always come back from the same direction - if he’s lucky enough to spot them on their way back to the colony. It kind of gives Dean mixed feelings. Sure, they’re hunting and eating and having a good ol’ time. But they’re doing it _together_ and Dean is left all on his own. Again.

The worst part is that he doesn’t actually have the time to really hang out with his friends anymore. But they could still _invite_ him, even if he’d have to eventually turn them down. All of this leaves Dean feeling really damn _lonely_. He’s spending time with fang-fin he barely knows and he actually like most of them. They’re the kind of monsters that Sam sometimes thinks Dean is becoming. But he’s not. He knows what he’s doing isn’t the right thing and he’d do anything else if he could, but he’s not losing himself. Not completely. He’s not going to be like _them_. And it’s reminding himself about Sam and his friends that’s keeping Dean sane.

But how is he supposed to keep reminding himself about the good when right now he’s feeling so separated from them that there _isn’t_ anything good to think about? He can’t remember the last time he went hunting with his friends or spent some time relaxing in their company. They’re just all wrapped up in themselves and whatever it is they talk about when he’s not there. Which is all the time because they _never_ try to include him anymore. Bastards.

By the fifth day of not having had the chance to talk to Sam yet, Dean _makes_ the chance. He puts his former captain in charge with the excuse that after learning so much and working so hard, he needs a bit of a break from everything. If he gets reported to the Council for it, then oh well. But Dean is only a fin-kin. He _does_ need a break, just like anyone else. There wasn’t much expected from him off the battlefield before and now he has to do things like meet with the other captains and discuss strategies or evaluate the members of his division to make sure that they’re up to par. If they’re not, he has to arrange training and there’s just so much he has to keep in his head that he needs a break before he goes insane from it all.

At least his former captain seemed to understand that excuse. He almost seemed sympathetic when he let Dean swim off with the explanation that he’s going hunting and then he’s finding somewhere quiet to nap for the day. It’s not an outright lie because Dean definitely plans to do both those things on what is officially going to be his day off. But he leaves out how he plans to try and get some time in with his little brother and his friends, even if that means having to follow them to wherever it is that they’ve been sneaking off to.

The thing is, sneaking after a fang-fin is _really_ hard to do. Only the best can do it and even Dean struggles at it. He has to stay back far enough that they can’t sense him moving through the water, and he has to stay out of the direct call of their echoes. Of course there’s also the whole thing where he needs to be out of the kin-connection too. It means a whole lot of unnerving silence, but Dean figures he can tough it out until he finds out where they’re going and what they’re up to.

But first, he’s going to _ask_. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll be nice enough to invite him along.

 _(Hey Bobby!)_ Dean swims up to him as he’s picking a kelp bag out from the store piles the colony has. _(What are you up to today?)_

Bobby shrugs and scratches at his beard. _(Nothing much, I suppose. Just some hunting.)_ Which is the same answer Dean got from Sam when he left with Jess this morning. _(How’s that whole **captain** thing working out for you?)_

 _(Busy.)_ He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. _(Do you mind if I come hunting with you? I haven’t had a chance to actually hunt for a few days.)_

 _(If you want.)_ At least Bobby seems pretty up front with him. Dean can’t sense that he’s hiding anything and that’s easing the knot he’s been carrying in his belly. _(I’m not going to be doing much. Just grabbing some food to bring back for those older folk.)_

Dean shrugs and turns towards the hunting grounds. _(That’s fine by me. I’m just going to grab a quick breakfast before I find someplace to relax. I’ve been trying to talk with Sam for days, but he’s been just as busy as me doing I don’t even know what. Do you know what’s up with him?)_

 _(He doesn’t like this war.)_ Bobby sighs and slips into place next to Dean. _(The longer it goes on, the more he wants to separate himself from the colony. Just give him some time to work things out and he’ll be okay again.)_

Well that’s something Dean hasn’t heard about before. Sam wants to separate from the colony? Or is Bobby just exaggerating? Seriously, what’s Sam even going to do if he leaves? Who would go with him? Would he just be leaving with all their friends – the ones who have been keeping Dean in the dark too – and start up a new fang-fin colony? That’s practically a death wish. The Council would never allow it and they’d probably kill Sam and the others if they tried it.

Dean doesn’t know what to say and he just nods. Bobby pats him on the shoulder and it’s mostly silence between them until they reach the hunting grounds. That’s fine though. He and Bobby have never really needed conversation. They’ve always been comfortable just being quiet and spending some time together. After all, this is nostalgic for them both, sorta. Bobby is the one who taught him how to hunt in the first place. Mom and Dad were gone too soon to help him with that.

Once they reach the hunting grounds, the scent of food and the way the fish churn the water makes Dean’s jaw twinge with hunger. He breaks away from Bobby with one intention only and that’s to hunt and eat. Bobby’s amusement tickles the kin-connection as he watches for a minute, approval twisting along with it. He’s always been pretty proud of how good a hunter Dean is. If their colony ever has the chance to settle down, Dean is pretty sure this would be a job he’d be willing to do daily.

Time slips by him while he hunts and fills his belly. At the same time, Dean loses track of Bobby. Their hunting grounds are pretty wide, and there are always _tons_ of fish around. It’s pretty easy to lose sight of someone, and that’s what the kin-connection is for. Dean reaches through it when he’s starting to get full. The voices of the rest of the colony are pretty distant, but Bobby’s mind is a lot closer than they are and it doesn’t take long for him to find it.

_(I’m almost done here, how about you?)_

_(I’m taking my time.)_ Bobby’s thoughts come through lazy, but they’re partially shielded from him and that makes Dean suspicious. _(You can head back if you want. I think I’m going to be a while yet. Sam and Jess were out here collecting earlier so there’s no real rush for me.)_

Dean clenches his teeth and glares in the direction he’s pretty sure that Bobby is in. He’s hiding something. But what? And how did he know what Sam and Jess were doing out here? Did they talk to him before they left? Are they all planning to sneak off again for whatever secret meeting it is that they’re going to have? Because Dean is _well_ aware that they’ve been having those. Sam so much as said so the first time he told Dean that he’s not the only one feeling like this war is wrong.

And it stings that even _Bobby_ isn’t going to try and invite him along. Why is _everyone_ excluding him? It’s not fair and Dean has to wrap his thoughts in walls before he shares any of that hurt without meaning to. _(Yeah, sure. Maybe I’ll go have a nap.)_

He cuts the kin-connection with Bobby after a quick goodbye. His nap won’t be coming for a while yet because Dean fully intends on following Bobby wherever he plans to go. Which means that he can’t be connected with him. It’ll be easy to catch him if Bobby notices that his link with Dean doesn’t ever get any quieter the farther he gets from the hunting grounds – and especially if Bobby is heading out to a different location altogether.

With his belly to the seafloor, Dean glides through the hunting grounds as slowly as he can. The last thing he wants to do is cause a disturbance among the fish and the water. The slower he goes, the harder it will be for Bobby to notice him when he’s just trying to keep an eye on him. After that, he’ll have to follow at a distance. Hopefully going by scent will be enough for that. Or he can always stay high above him in the open ocean. No, Bobby will probably be keeping an eye on that to make sure no one from the colony is following him. Looks like he’ll have to stick to the seafloor. It’s harder to be spotted while he’s down here with all the rocks to offer cover.

Once he finds Bobby, Dean keeps his distance. He stays completely focused on him with echoes and every sense that he has available to him. At least he doesn’t have long to wait before Bobby decides his bag is full enough and he heads out. And, just like Dean thought, he doesn’t head back towards the colony. Instead, Bobby is actually _leaving_ the camp. From what Dean can tell while he slides along behind him, Bobby is heading for the side of their camp that’s the complete opposite edge of their territory from the bright-fin’s colony.

When they pass out of the reach of the colony’s kin-connection, Dean starts getting nervous. He’s tracking Bobby by a combination of things right now and he knows he’s not alone, but there’s silence in his head. It’s terrifying. His heart is pounding almost too quickly in his chest, like it’s trying to punch its way out because he’s _alone_. He’s always had at least one other voice in the kin-connection and now he has nothing. It’s an actual fight he has with himself to not automatically reach out to link to Bobby’s mind. If he did that, he’d ruin everything he’s trying to do right now.

Eventually – which is _way_ too long for Dean’s liking – Bobby meets the bottom of a sheer wall. It’s not that high of a cliff, but it’s the first Dean’s seen in this area. He hangs back, waiting to see what Bobby does. He doesn’t have to wait for long and he’s not disappointed by what he sees. Bobby follows the base of the cliff until he reaches a big ol’ boulder partially blocking the entrance into a cave. Immediately Dean is pretty damn intrigued. What kind of cave is it? Is that where everyone is meeting? Why do they have to cover it up with a boulder?

After Bobby wiggles his way into the opening, Dean waits a little while. He doesn’t want to go in _right_ away, because what if they’re all hanging around right at the entrance? This requires some _reconnaissance_. After he thinks a decent time has passed and he can’t stand the damn silence any longer, he slinks toward the boulder. He calls echoes into the opening and winces when actual _tunnels_ come back to him. Great. Now it’s going to be even harder to track Bobby.

It’s not too hard to squeeze through into the tunnel system. The opening looks like it’s big enough for Sam to make it through – which means he’s probably in here too. Isn’t that just fantastic? Who else is going to be here? Jess, probably. Bobby too. But anyone else? What about Jo and Ellen? Are Ash, Kevin, or Charlie here? Dean wouldn’t be surprised. _Everyone_ seems to be in on this except for him, but that’s not going to happen after today. Now he’s going to _know_ what they’re up to.

Dean follows Bobby’s lingering scent in the still water of the cavern. There are a few tunnels off this main cavern, but only one of them has Bobby’s scent going down it. It’s a good thing he has that leading the way, otherwise he’s sure that he would get lost. These tunnels intersect with each other and seem to and twist and turn in all directions. In the end, Dean doesn’t even know where he came from and he’s not very confident in his ability to find his way out again.

But, eventually, he turns a bend and catches another couple scents left over in the still water. He recognizes Sam and Jess immediately. Their scents are as familiar to him as his own. But there’s another one mixed in too. There’s even more of it here, meaning whoever it belongs to has been here for a lot longer than either of them. But whose is it? The scent is unfamiliar. It’s not anyone that Dean knows and he’s pretty sure that his friends don’t know anyone that he doesn’t.

There’s moving water here, stirred up by multiple bodies - which means there are fin-kin ahead of him. All Dean knows for sure is that Bobby, Jess, and Sam are here. Who’s the other person? Are there more than one? Every question that Dean has falls right out of his head the closer that he gets to whatever cavern is at the end of this tunnel. His belly is practically scraping the floor while he pulls himself along with his hands, doing his best not to disturb anything.

The moment Dean sees the glow, he knows who the smell belongs to. It’s a fucking _bright-fin_. Dean doesn’t even know how he’s supposed to feel right now. He hadn’t even considered that they would be meeting with a bright-fin. It was never an option and Dean can’t even begin to wrap his head around it. All he can do is hold still and stare at the glow coming around the opening into the cavern – a soft blue that doesn’t reaches him. But Dean is good at noticing the subtle shifts in light down here in the deeps and he knows – he _knows_ what a bright-fin’s glow looks like.

Red starts creeping into Dean’s vision as he works through understanding what’s happening. Sam is keeping company with a bright-fin. It’s not all the much to assume that he’s also _talking_ with one. And not only has the Council not told them to do that, but _Dean_ told Sam that he shouldn’t do it. He _specifically_ told him that it would get them all in some seriously hot water if Sam so much as even tried to make the kin-connection with a bright-fin on the battlefield. But to be _meeting_ with one? This is reason enough for the death penalty!

What has Sam been telling them and how in the ever loving sea did he convince _Bobby_ to go along with this? More than that, how long has Sam been lying to Dean about this? Every day – every _damn_ day – Dean has been asking him where he’s going or what he’s done with his day. And every day Sam has told him that he was just out with Jess. It’s not a lie since Jess is obviously here too, but he still fucking _lied_. He never told Dean about the bright-fin he’s been hanging out with.

This is _huge_ and Sam didn’t trust him. Nobody trusted him enough to tell him. Not his baby brother, not the sister he never had, and not the closest thing to a father he’s ever really known. Bobby, Sam, Jess, and who else? Does everyone know about this? Ellen and the rest of the gang? Do _anyone_ of them actually trust him even just a little?

It hurts. It hurts for so many reasons that Dean doesn’t even want to count them all. No one he thought he was close to actually trusts him and Sam – Sam _knows_ how hard he’s been working during this war. He knows that Dean’s done things on that battlefield that keep him up some nights. Sam knows that he’s been working so hard just to have their family actually _respected_ in this colony again and in one fell swoop he’s completely _ruined it_. If this gets out, everyone will be calling them traitors even if Dean didn’t have anything to do with it. Because this isn’t just betraying him. They’re _meeting_ with the enemy and that’s basically stabbing the whole damn colony in the back.

What if someone else had followed Bobby today? If Lilith even gets a _hint_ of a suspicion, she’ll have Astaroth tailing anyone and everyone. Abaddon and Alistair would just do it themselves and Crowley has a whole horde of fin-kin at his command. There are so many members of the colony who could be here instead of Dean and if it was anyone else, Sam and the others would have already been reported to the Council already. They’d be as good as dead by now.

No. _No_. It doesn’t matter how or why they’re meeting with this bright-fin. If someone finds out, then the only family he has and the only fang-fin he cares about could _die_. No, he won’t allow it. Dean _has_ to do something about it. _He’ll_ stop them all from getting themselves killed. And the only way to do that is to get rid of the evidence – to get rid of the _bright-fin_.

He shoves himself up from the floor, his tail churning the water. There is no grace in his movement today. Dean is _angry_. He’s fucking furious for being left out and lied to; enraged that no one thinks they can trust him. But most of all, he’s terrified. He’s scared out of his head that a bright-fin is going to steal away what little good he has in his life. The only thing pounding through his veins as he crashes into the cave is a driving need to protect everyone he cares about – even if it means that he has to protect them from themselves.

The damn cave is full of stone pillars and smooth spires hanging from the ceiling or rising from the floor. It makes the space feel smaller than it is. That’s not really helping how Dean’s feeling right now. He’s not the biggest fan of small spaces to start with and he’d been using his curiosity to keep that feeling from getting the better of him in the tunnels. But that combined with the silence in his head and his anger at the three other fang-fin in the cave is more than enough to make his vision blur.

Thankfully, the silence doesn’t last for too long. As soon as the others realize that Dean is here, they’re all scrabbling at Dean’s mind. The kin-connection with them slides into place and at least one of the things bugging him fades away. But it doesn’t go too far because all of them are panicking. Surprise echoes through his head in triplicate, followed by a lot of a feeling that can be summed up with one great big ‘ _oh no_ ’.

 _(Dean, wait!)_ Sam twists around to swim in front of him, arms out spread. _(I can explain!)_

Explain _what_? There’s nothing he can say that is going to make this look any better than it is. Dean doesn’t even need his echoes to see the bright-fin sitting against the far wall of the cavern. He can see him easy enough with the damn glow he’s giving off, even with Sam and the others trying to block the bright-fin from view. Good luck to them with that. Dean has his sights set on that glowing bastard and he’s going to get him for this.

One thing that does make Dean hesitate slightly is that the bright-fin is bound. There’s a metal rope wrapped around his waist and pinned under some rocks stacked in the corner. Those metal ropes have been scavenged from the sunken floating-reefs that used to belong to the two-tails’. Is he a _prisoner_? Oh crap. Sam and the others took a bright-fin _prisoner_. They’re talking to him and feeding him, if the scattered fish bones on the cave floor count for anything. From the amount he sees, Dean figures there has to be several days’ worth here – at _least_. Have they been hiding this from him for longer than that?

They captured a bright-fin and they’ve been _taking care_ of him. If he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes – if he wasn’t seeing how Sam, Jess _and_ Bobby are all putting themselves in protective stances between him and the bright-fin – Dean wouldn’t believe it. He would have challenged anyone for a fight to the death for insulting the honour of his family and friends like that. But this? This isn’t something he can even begin to understand how to deal with it.

But these idiots have actually been _talking_ to the bright-fin. Dean would bet his life on it. He can’t believe that Sam or the others would actually make the kin-connection with a bright-fin after everything they’ve been warned about. How could they do something so stupid? If that blue-glowing bastard did _anything_ to hurt anyone, Dean is going to take his sweet time with killing him because he won’t deserve a quick death after that. Not only would he have hurt the fin-kin that Dean cares about, but the kin-connection is a precious link between fin-kin and using it like that is just – just – Dean doesn’t even have words for it.

Behind Sam and the others, the bright-fin’s back-fins flare out on his back and at the sides of his head. He even brightens his glow in some kind of threatening display, as if that’s going to work at all. Dean is weaving side to side, trying to keep an eye on him while Sam is intent on being the biggest most spotted blockade in the history of ever. It’s annoying, but it’s not enough to keep Dean from noticing what they’ve probably been hiding from him more than anything else. Once he gets a good look at the glow pattern on the tail, Dean knows without a doubt who this bright-fin is. And he _knew_ he shouldn’t have trusted Ruby’s word without a damn body as proof.

It’s fucking _Swirly-blue_.

If it was any other bright-fin, Dean wouldn’t be half as angry as he is in this instant. This is the bright-fin bastard that made it harder for him to claw his way to his current position. He probably would have been division captain several dozen days ago if it wasn’t for Swirly-blue and his damn rescue teams. Sam knows what a pain this one bright-fin has been in Dean’s tail and he went and fucking _saved him_. He’s been feeding him and talking to him and giving him medical salves – if the folding shells stacked neatly in a pile nearby are any indication. Why? Oh. Right. He was caught in a rock slide. Which means that they’re trying to _heal him_.

Whatever’s been holding Dean back so far finally snaps and there’s nothing stopping him now. With a snarl on his lips and his tail knocking against the wall of the cavern, he throws himself forward. Sam makes a move to stop him and Dean twists to the side, using his hands to help pull himself around a stone column. He uses them to his advantage, ducking under and around them when Jess makes a grab to stop him or Bobby tries to do the same. Sam is trying to catch up on Dean, following close to his tail.

Not this time. Sam is strong and he’s big, but he doesn’t have Dean’s _speed_. There’s a threat to everything he holds dear and it’s sitting on the other side of the cave, growling at him with his fins spread. If he’s alive and here, then he’s evidence of Sam’s treason. Dean won’t allow it. He _can’t_ allow it. There is no way he’s going to lose his little brother because of a damn bright-fin. If it means having to tear Swirly-blue’s throat out while he’s bound, then he’ll do it. He’ll do damn well _anything_ to keep his family safe.

 _(Dean!)_ Sam’s hand closes around the upper lobe of his tail-fin, claws digging in to draw him back. _(Will you just **listen** to me? I said **wait**!)_

He must have anchored himself with his tail bent around a pillar because Sam manages to pull Dean to a complete stop long enough for Jess and Bobby to throw themselves on top of him. Dean’s claws rake across the stone as he tries pulling himself out from underneath them. But they’re using all of their weight and all of their strength to pin him to the floor. He might have had a slim chance at throwing them off if Sam hadn’t added himself to the mix. Between the three of them, Dean doesn’t stand a chance of breaking free.

 _(Get off me!)_ He struggles against the hands pinning his arms to the cave floor, trying to lash his tail under Sam’s heavy weight. _(Let me go! I have to kill him. I **have** to –)_

_(Enough, Dean!)_

Bobby’s tone is severe and loud enough in Dean’s head that it almost hurts. It’s the same kind of tone he used when he was raising him and it’s almost enough to make Dean actually stop. Almost. But he’s too angry, too hurt, too scared and worried and just plain fucking _done_ with everything to stop now. They’ve betrayed the colony, they’ve betrayed _him_.

 _( **Traitors.** ) _Dean hisses at them, whipping the accusation through the kin-connection until they flinch. _(How could you **do** this?)_

But not to the colony and not to the Council. How could they do this to _him_? It’s him they’ve hurt the most. Right now, Dean couldn’t care less about what the Council and the colony will think of this. Yes, of course that matters and it matters _so much_ , but the fact that they didn’t trust him and they kept him out of the loop stings a million times more.

If he kills Swirly-blue and gets rid of the evidence, the Council and the colony won’t ever know. But Dean knows and he always will. He knows exactly what they all think of him and it’s the worst feeling he’s ever experienced before. They’ve lied to him so much and for so long that Dean doesn’t know how he’s ever going to be able to forgive them for this.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(I’m sorry, Dean.)_ Sam shakes his head and shrugs Jess’s hand from his shoulder. _(Even if you never forgive me for this, I’ll never forgive myself if I let you hurt him.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Dean doesn’t even need to try struggling. He knows without a doubt that he’s pinned and pinned _good_. He might have stood the chance of throwing just one of them off, but it’s impossible with _three_. They’re all as strong as him or very nearly, and they’re all good fighters. He’s completely and utterly _fucked_. What made him think that he could get past three seasoned warriors? Obviously it’s the fault of his blind anger, but Dean isn’t going to stop. The fin-kin he cares about are in _danger_ and he needs to protect them. It’s all he’s good at and he _has_ to do it.

 _(Please, just **calm down**.)_ Sam’s touch in the kin-connection is heavy and he’s doing his hardest to push calming thoughts into Dean’s mind. It’s not working. _(I need you to listen to us, okay? We can’t let you up until you listen to us.)_

Good luck with _that_. There’s a whole whirlpool of hurt twisting around in his chest. Dean isn’t likely to listen to _anyone_ any time soon because of this. If they can’t trust him, why should he trust them? They’ve been lying to him probably since this war started. The only time Sam has told him the truth about is when he flat out told Dean that he was talking with their friends behind his back. No. He’s not going to listen. Not now, at least. If they want to talk, he’ll fucking do it _after_ Swirly-blue is dead.

Bobby’s thoughts push in next to Sam’s, vibrating with all the authority of a parent talking to their child. It’s the same tone he’s used on Dean since he was barely older than a hatchling and it’s _almost_ enough to make him stop struggling. _(Take a deep breath, boy, and **stop**. You’re throwing yourself into a whole new race and you don’t know the stakes. Things aren’t so **simple** anymore.)_

 _(It’s true, Dean. You need to listen to us.)_ After the silence of not having the kin-connection while he was following Bobby, having three voices in his head almost feels like too much. Even Jess is pressing at him, stressing just how badly he should do what they say. _(We’ve been **lied** to this whole time, Dean. The Council **tricked** us. Please, just calm down so we can explain.)_

It doesn’t help that there’s no lie in her words. She’s telling the truth and Dean doesn’t want to believe it any more than he wants to listen to them. No. He _refuses_ to believe it. There’s always been a nagging suspicion – that annoying worry in the back of his head that there’s something just not right with this war. But Dean ignored it. He ignored it because he needed to. But this – this isn’t something he can accept. They can’t just tell him something like that after all he’s done.

Dean has worked hard during the last season. He’s fought and bled to get to where he is now. Are they forgetting that he’s been promoted to a _captain_? It’s not like they don’t know what he had to do to work to that position. Dean has had to kill so many fin-kin in the name of helping his colony and his family. There are nameless faces burned into his memory and he’s never going to forget them. Every single one of the bright-fin he’s killed are swimming circles in his head and they’re never going to leave him alone.

Sam once accused Dean of _enjoying_ what he was doing. He doesn’t. Not completely. There were times when he thought he was, and that scared the fuck out of him. There are areas within him that Dean doesn’t want to swim into. He doesn’t want to become the kind of monster that they claim he already is. And it makes him sick to his stomach with just how close he’s come to being that. It’s only his family and his friends that have been holding him back from becoming exactly what Abaddon and the rest of the Council wants him to be.

Everything Dean did was for Sam and their family. He knows better than anyone that fighting this war and killing for the Council was doing the wrong things for the right reasons, but it’s not like he really had any other choice. If he listened to that nagging voice and if he started questioning the Council, he would have just made things harder for him and Sam. They were already some of the lowest ranking members of the colony, but they’re not anymore and it’s all thanks to the blood on Dean’s hands. He wishes he didn’t have to do it, but he had no other options available to him.

So no way can they tell him this now. Dean can’t listen to it. He _can’t_. He shakes his head and snarls at them, shoving their arguments out of his head without fully closing the kin-connection. They can’t tell him that the Council lied to him. They can’t tell him that everything he’s done over the last season could have been avoided. That’s not acceptable to him. It’s _not_ and he can’t – he just _can’t_ –

 _(He’s not going to listen, Sam.)_ There’s a finality to Bobby’s thoughts that sends a chill ricocheting along Dean’s spine. _(We’re gonna need to restrain him or knock him out.)_

 _(That’s just **great**.)_ Sam groans and his dislike for both options whips through the kin-connection. _(Can you two hold him? I’ve got an idea.)_

Jess doesn’t seem so sure of that plan, but she does her best with laying herself across Dean’s back a little more, getting a better grip under his arms. Bobby does the same, only he makes sure that he’s holding Dean’s tail. He’s using his body to pin it to a stone pillar, arms wrapped around it and the pillar while laying on top of him too. Without Sam, Dean can struggle a little better, but he still can’t break free from the two of them.

From where he’s lying on his belly, Dean can plainly see Sam swim over to Swirly-blue. He doesn’t even need his echoes for it – that’s just how brightly the bastard is glowing. Swirly-blue never takes his eyes off Dean, fins still spread while he’s clearly still on the defensive. As if he would actually be able to take Dean if Jess and Bobby weren’t holding him down. Every time he’s managed to escape Dean before was just luck. If they went one on one without any interruptions, Dean would win without a doubt.

They must have the kin-connection because Sam hasn’t even touched Swirly-blue before he’s looking away from Dean to stare at him. They’re talking. They’re fucking _talking_. Mother-sea help them all, it’s like Sam is _trying_ to get them all killed. Who in their right mind would make the kin-connection with a _bright-fin_? If Swirly-blue does _anything_ to Sam’s mind – now or before – not even Jess and Bobby will be able to hold Dean back.

He’d give Sam a piece of his mind about this if he could actually organize his thoughts into something decent enough for communication. But Dean’s whole head is a swirling mess. Anger, sadness, upset, hurt, and a touch more anger on top of that. He can barely even think straight. All he wants is his family and his friends to be safe. Is that too much to ask? Why did they have to go and do this? Why did they feel the need to shut him out and keep him in the dark? Dean could have handled this better if he’d just been _included_.

Everything in his head slams into a rock wall of silence the moment Swirly-blue nods and leans back on his hands. He’s squinting at Sam and his dumb folding-fins haven’t closed yet, but he’s baring himself for Sam to get in close. Why? What’s Sam going to do? He gets his answer the moment Sam hooks his fingers in the links of the metal rope. Unbelieveable! Sam’s going to free the fucking bright-fin so he can use the metal rope to bind _him_.

He hadn’t even known that a length of metal rope had gone missing from the colony’s storage. Probably no one knows, or even suspected it. They’ve lost track of plenty of things during their journey. But that’s really the only place Sam could have gotten it from. During the long travels that brought the fang-fin here, they’ve come across plenty of the two-tail’s floating-reefs that have long since been sunk. The colony has combed through them for anything they might find useful. For example, they’ve found the rope made of metal links and they scavenge as much of that as they can find.

Some of Dean’s favourite things are from the sunken floating-reefs. They’re made of a kind of material he’s never seen in the deeps before. It’s hard to the touch but can be smashed if it’s hit with something else. When it shatters, it breaks into sharp, jagged little pieces that are just as beautiful as when it was whole. And best of all, it comes in different colours even though most of it is see through. Which is kind of what he likes about it. Dean has a few things made of that stuff. Most of them are in weird tube shapes with wide flat bottoms and thin necks where he can actually put things like shine-stones and rocks with cool designs in it and they rattle around against its sides.

But even thinking about the treasures tucked away safely back in his sleeping nook doesn’t do anything to stop Dean from actually growling at Sam when he pries the metal link open. Sam unwraps the metal rope from around Swirly-blue’s waist and gathers it up while he follows it to the rocks piled on its end. The rocks must be lighter than they look, because Sam only has to slam his shoulder into them once to knock them up enough for him to yank the rope out from underneath. It takes a fair bit of timing, but Sam is always good at basically everything he does.

Swirly-blue keeps touching his hips and his waist now that he’s free of the metal rope. And Dean definitely saw him glance toward the exit of the cave. The sounds of the metal links trailing on the floor reverberates through the water, bouncing against Dean’s side-fins and making his whole head ache. He can’t decide if he wants to glare at Sam or if he wants to glare at Swirly-blue for just existing and ruining _everything_. They are all _sorely_ mistaken if they think that Dean is going to make it easy on them.

The whole time that Sam works with the others to wrap the metal rope around him, Dean struggles. He does his best to pull his arms free when Jess and Bobby pull them behind his back to twist the links around his wrist and pin them to the part already wrapped around his waist. But that still leaves him mobile. Dean could still swim like this and of course they won’t let him do that. A hiss pushes water through his teeth when they force his tail to curve back just so they can wrap the last of the metal rope at the base of his end-fin.

He squirms and bucks and does his best to make it impossible for Sam to pinch the ending link together again to tie off the rope. When they pull back, there’s a hesitation to the kin-connection. They’re waiting to see if Dean is able to break free, and goddamn he’s definitely giving it his best try. But not even _he_ is able to break the linked metal rope. He grits his teeth hard enough that he actually tastes blood and his wrists ache with how tight the metal rope gets while he pulls at it. But pulling his wrists only tightens the metal rope around his waist _and_ it pulls at his tail, bending it farther back than is really comfortable.

 _Damn it._ They knew exactly what they were doing with tying him up and he can’t move. Mother-sea, they’ve actually _tied him up_. This is just as unbelievable as everything else and Dean twists onto his side to glare at Sam. He lets any walls he had around his mind drop to fill the kin-connection with every inch of his rage and hurt. Dean lets Sam and the others feel just how much he’s been betrayed by everything they’ve done to him now and throughout the war.

 _(Dean –)_ Sam starts, flinching slightly when the waves of it crashes into his mind.

 _( **Don’t**.) _ He bites out, spitting the word into the kin-connection. _(I won’t forgive you for this, Sam.)_ And he makes sure Jess and Bobby knows that goes double for them too. Them and every single one of their friends because _this_ – this is crossing the line.

Even though he says that, Dean doesn’t really mean it. With the way that he’s feeling, forgiving any of them feels pretty damn impossible – but his head is also full of shit at the moment. He can’t really think straight, so maybe later he’ll be more forgiving. At the moment, though? Not so much. Right now he doesn’t even care that hurt flashes across Sam’s face and fills the kin-connection. He doesn’t care that Jess puts a hand on his shoulder and gives him a sad look or that Bobby’s irritation whips against the edges of Dean’s mind.

At this point, he’s stopped caring about a lot of things. He’s hurt, he’s angry, and he wants to lash out at something and make it _bleed_. Hunting is always a good stress relief, but he doubts he’ll be doing that anytime soon. How long is it going to take for them to let him go? Forever, probably. He’s going to be stuck here in this dumb cave, closed off from the open ocean, and he’ll die right here next to a fucking _bright-fin_. And not just any bright-fin, either. He’ll be dying beside _Swirly-blue._

Mother-sea, this can’t be happening.

 _(I’m sorry, Dean.)_ Sam shakes his head and shrugs Jess’s hand from his shoulder. _(Even if you never forgive me for this, I’ll never forgive myself if I let you hurt him.)_

So now Swirly-blue ranks higher than him in Sam’s eyes? Isn’t that just _awesome_. Dean bares his teeth at Sam and twists onto his other side, putting his back to all of them. Fine. If Sam wants to disown him for this, let him. Everything Dean has already done for him during this war has gone to waste, so why shouldn’t their bond as brothers go too? He squeezes his eyes shut against the sting of tears and closes himself off from the kin-connection.

If he was a stronger fin-kin, Dean would just close their links completely and stew in the silence. But he’s already had a taste of what that’s like and he isn’t interested in going back to that any time soon. He’ll keep the kin-connection with them for now, but he’ll be damned if he’s going to let them feel anything from him. They can talk at him all they want, but he’s not going to listen. He’s done with this. Done with them. Done with _everything_.

Apparently Bobby isn’t ready to give up just yet. Dean knows it’s him from his scent and it’s the movement in the water that tells him that someone has settled in the space in front of him. Hands cup his face and a warning growl rumbles in the back of his throat. If they think he’s a monster, maybe he’ll just prove it to them. A good bite to the hand would make them leave him alone. Not that he’d ever actually do that. Bobby _raised_ him, for fuck’s sake. Dean couldn’t hurt him even if he wanted to.

_(Look at me, Dean.)_

The thoughts bounce against the walls surrounding his head and he lets them seep through. There’s something ingrained deep within Dean to listen to the closest thing he’s had to a father for most of his life, even if he doesn’t want to. The growl keeps stuttering away in his chest, even when he opens his eyes to fix Bobby with his glare.

 _(You understand why we’re doing this, don’t you, boy?)_ Bobby asks it like he knows he’s not going to get an answer out of Dean. _(We can’t risk having you go back and tattle to the Council about what we’ve been doing out here. It’ll ruin everything we’ve been working for during this last little bit.)_

Oh, of course. Because _that’s_ what matters here. Everything in the whole damn ocean matters more than Dean to everyone he cares about, even though he’s only ever thought about them. Doesn’t matter what he does. No one is ever going to care. Why don’t they just kill him, already? It’ll save them – and him – all _sorts_ of trouble.

 _(This here is just a temporary solution, okay? We’re not going to leave you like this for too long.)_ Bobby pats him on the cheek and puts his head down gently. _(We just need to meet with the others and figure out what we’re gonna be doing about this.)_

The others. That’s right, there are _others_. Who is it? Jo and Ellen? Ash? Kevin? All of them and more? What about Pamela? Jodie? Kristy and her dad? There are so many of them that Dean knows. Some he’s closer to than others, sure. The list could go on and on. Are they _all_ fucking rebels? Have they _all_ been lying to him and leaving him out of this? Even Charlie? She’s, like, his best friend after Sam. Mother-sea, Dean didn’t think this could hurt any more, but it _does_.

He closes his eyes again and turns his face into the rock. All that anger is pulsing away behind his chest and it’s only making the cracks in his heart hurt more. The fact that they think he would even consider betraying any of them – and especially _Sam_ – to the Council hurts more than anything else. No one trusted him. They probably never did. No one even tried to talk him about whatever it is. Sam only ever fought with him about it. If he had told Dean that things were _this_ serious, then maybe Dean would have actually stopped to listen and hear him out.

If they would just let him make things _right_ again by getting rid of Swirly-blue and protecting their tails, he’d be more than happy to find a nice place to sit and talk things over. They could tell him what they learned and why they felt the need for all this secrecy. He would have an honest to goodness _talk_ with them – but only _after_ things are made right and he’s managed to calm the fuck down.

Besides, right now Dean can’t even bring himself to answer them. He’s just _way_ too mad for that. Who knows what kind of crap he might accidentally say? It would probably just be a bunch of stuff that he’ll end up regretting. Nobody wants that and least of all him. There’s already a whole bunch of stuff that he’s regretting and all of this really isn’t helping matters much at all.

It’s not like they can have a good conversation anyways. Not when there’s a bright-fin prisoner sitting a few tail-lengths away from them – let alone that it’s fucking _Swirly-blue_. Sitting there all glowing and alive and injured and obviously being taken care of. They’ve given him food and medical salves and just the fact that they’re keeping him alive is more than enough to get all of them _killed_. It’s like they have some kind of death wish by doing all this shit.

Swirly-blue is the damning evidence of what they’ve done and that could cost Dean his little brother. He can’t allow that. No matter what happens from here on out, he _has_ to take Swirly-blue down – whether Sam wants him to or not. Once he’s done with that, there won’t be anything for the Council to find out and then everyone will be safe. And then there won’t be anything in the way of Dean having a nice conversation with his traitorous friends and family.

Even with his mind walled off from the others, Dean can still tell that they’re talking. He doesn’t know what it’s about, but it doesn’t take him long to get curious. They wouldn’t be talking shit about him literally behind his back when they know he’s still connected to them. But whatever it is, it has to do with him and this situation and he should kind of be keeping up with all of that. Otherwise there might be some more unwanted surprises in store for him.

 _(He can’t get out, Jess. Don’t worry.)_ Sam doesn’t sound happy about having to say that. _(He’s tied up good and tight. Even Dean can’t get out of that.)_

Bobby sighs and Dean can actually hear the rush of water being pushed through his gills. _(He’ll be a bit uncomfortable, but he’ll be fine.)_

 _(He’s not really the one I’m worried about.)_ Jess’s wary thoughts grate across Dean’s nerves when he realizes that she’s more concerned about _Swirly-blue_. The fucking _enemy_ is more important than him now. _(I don’t think we should leave them alone together. Dean’s strong and smart. He could get free and – I just think we should have one of us stay behind and watch over them.)_

 _(We need all our voices at this meeting.)_ He’s trying to be comforting, but Sam doesn’t seem to be doing a good job of it today. _(We all have our strengths and we’re all going to have to be there to talk about what we’re going to do about this.)_ After a pause, Sam’s thoughts turn forcefully light – like he’s trying to make a joke and completely failing at it. _(Besides, Dean needs his cool down time when he’s angry like this. Best way to do that is to leave him alone for a while.)_

Jess picks the problem with that plan out in a heartbeat. _(He’s **not** alone.)_

Sam snorts and starts moving towards the exit of the cave. _(You really think that that these two are going to get any closer than this?)_

That seems to amuse Jess somewhat, though it only makes Dean more annoyed. _(No, I suppose not.)_ She follows after Sam and Dean’s back suddenly feels a lot colder as all three of them start to leave. _(I guess we **do** have someone to watch over Dean, after all. You’re on our side too, aren’t you?)_

Who is? She wasn’t talking to Sam there, and it wasn’t directed at Dean or Bobby. Was she talking to Swirly-blue? What a load of fishshit. Where the fuck do they get off thinking that a _bright-fin_ is on a fang-fin’s side? That’s ridiculous! It’s the dumbest thing that Dean’s ever heard of and he can’t believe he heard it.

When Sam’s thoughts purposefully brush against his, Dean withdraws from them immediately. The walls don’t go up fast enough though and he still gets Sam’s message. _(We won’t be gone for too long. We just need to discuss all of this with the others and – and could you just **please** try and calm down? When we come back, we’re going to want to talk and that’s easier to do when you have a level head going.)_

Dean let’s a few slices of his disbelief and his anger slip out past the walls before he completely cuts Sam out of the kin-connection. He does the same to Jess and leaves the one with Bobby open for as long as he can. Sam - or maybe it’s Jess - must say something to Swirly-blue because he hisses and rumbles a growl of his own. At that, Dean twists around to get a look. Sure enough, all of Swirly-blue’s dumb flexi-fins are spread and he’s shaking his head at them. He even goes so far as to cross his damn arms, like some kind of stubborn child.

Instead of leaving, Sam swims over to him and rests on the bend of his tail. They talk for a stupidly long time before Swirly-blue finally sighs. He nods slowly, but he doesn’t look happy about having to declare defeat. All of his fins fold down, but the ridiculous ones on the side of his head twitch out again when he turns his glare on Dean. They lock stares for a moment before Swirly-blue huffs and looks away. Dean does the same and settles back on his side.

It’s not long after that when Sam and the others actually _leave_. The cave isn’t big by any standards, but it feels _huge_ without them there. Bobby keeps the kin-connection with Dean all the way through the tunnels and to the boulder-blocked entrance to the enter system. By then, they can feel it stretching. It’s not _too_ bad, but being able to tell how far away they are is enough to make Dean’s heart skip a few beats before it throws itself into double time.

 _(If you ask him nicely, your friend there might share some of his fish with you.)_ Bobby offers. _(I’ll bring some more back with me anyways.)_ And then he’s gone. He cuts the kin-connection before Dean can say anything and the silence rushes in to take his place.

Honestly, though, Dean is speechless. He can’t fucking believe this is actually happening. Jess, Sam, _and_ Bobby have left him alone in some cave in the middle of nowhere, tied up with metal rope, and in the company of Swirly-blue. They don’t trust Dean not to hurt him, but apparently they trust Swirly-blue not to swim on over and claw Dean’s throat out. This is – He can’t – How is – It’s _impossible_. Dean can’t even begin to wrap his mind around the fact that apparently his own damn family trusts a _bright-fin_ more than they trust _him_. He’s never been more insulted.

It doesn’t take long for him to try struggling again. At this point, he’s only really hurting himself, but he’s going to damn well give it his best try. It involves a whole lot of snarling and wincing and flopping about on the cave floor, but it ultimately amounts to nothing. The rope doesn’t have any give to it and Dean’s arms are starting to ache from being tensed in this awkward position. He probably looks ridiculous and Swirly-blue must be getting a good laugh from watching him.

Speaking of that particular glowing dick, Dean’s back is still to him. He has his _back_ to an _enemy_. That doesn’t sit right with him and he pauses his struggles long enough to roll onto his belly. Sure enough, Swirly-blue is watching him closely. Dean turns onto his other side so he’s facing him. Now that Swirly-blue isn’t tied up, he could easily move across the cave and kill him. If that happens, Dean wants to know what’s coming. He can’t do shit to protect himself, but he’d like to look his murderer in the face before he dies.

But Swirly-blue doesn’t look like he’s planning on moving anytime soon. He’s curled up in his little corner, glaring at Dean for all he’s worth. It doesn’t look like he’s about to drop his guard, even if Dean is completely tied up. That’s almost enough to make Dean respect him. A good warrior will always be on their guard around their enemies, even if they’ve made friends with them. If he isn’t completely wary of Sam and the others too, then he’d be a pretty shitty warrior.

Eventually, Dean gives up on trying to break the metal rope. He’s just not strong enough. It would take actually hooking his fingers in the weak link and pulling it apart. Pulling at everything like this just isn’t enough to do that. _Fuck_. Well, at least he tried. Now all he can do is wait for the others to come back – if Swirly-blue doesn’t finish him off first. In either case, the others are damn lucky. If Dean was any other fang-fin, he’d be challenging them or outright killing them the moment they untie him later.

He would have every right to, honestly. Fang-fin live to fight. It’s in their blood and ingrained in their society. But that doesn’t mean that _everyone_ likes all the laws and traditions they have. Even if he _thinks_ about beating the shit out of his friends or Sammy for what they’ve done, he wouldn’t actually do it. Dean doesn’t like half of the colony’s traditions and he would _never_ actually hurt anyone he cared about. Not if he can help it, at least.

If Dean was anyone else, he would have already challenged Sammy to a fight to the death for this level of betrayal of both him and the colony. He’s angry, sure. In fact, he’s downright _pissed_. But that doesn’t mean that he’ll turn around and actually try and _kill_ his baby brother. Dean might be considered a monster now by more than one of their friends, but he’s not _that_ far gone. He’s still _him_ and it really fucking stings that Sam and their friends are treating him like he’s not.

The longer nothing happens in the cave and the more that he thinks, the harder it is for Dean to ignore the yawning silence in his head. If there was someone else in there, he wouldn’t be trapped in the endless loop of his thoughts. They don’t even need to be talking. All Dean needs is another calming presence sitting at the edge of his mind and he’d be able to let this go and calm down. But the only fin-kin available for that now is Swirly-blue and Dean would rather dive headfirst into a volcanic vent than make the kin-connection with him.

He needs a distraction and the only thing he really has is struggling against the metal rope. But it’s really starting to hurt and it’s not likely that he’s going to be able to keep that up for much longer. Actually, Dean is just about ready to give up on that. How long has it been since the others left? Will they be back soon? They better be. He’s not sure how much longer he can stand the silence. It’s never been really confirmed how long it takes for the isolation-madness to set in. Wouldn’t that just be _awesome_ if he was insane by the time they came back?

No. Wait a minute.

Swirly-blue has been here for several days now. Dean knows for a fact that every single one of his friends has been accounted for at least for one night during that time period. Which means that Swirly-blue would have been here alone for an entire evening, a whole night, and part of a morning. He may be a bright-fin, but he doesn’t exactly look crazy right now. If anything, he looks tired. He must be getting bored of staring at Dean because he’s slid back to the wall and slumped against it.

Out of everything Swirly-blue could do right now, the last thing Dean really expected him to do was start to sing. By the time he starts, Dean has completely given up on trying to break free and he’s just barely managing to keep his eyes open. All of his anger has more or less seeped out of him and it took all his energy with it. Now he just feels exhausted and he doesn’t want to deal with anything ever again. He’s ready to pass out and let Swirly-blue kill him if he wants, but instead, the glowing bastard starts to sing and instantly Dean is wide awake.

The bright-fin sing. That is a known fact to the entire fang-fin colony. It started as a rumour and was quickly confirmed by anyone who had the guts to sneak their way past the bright-fin’s borders. Dean was one of those. He didn’t get far, but he got far enough to hear their sad songs on the currents from a good distance away. It wasn’t much to hear from that distance, so it’s no surprise that Dean honestly had no idea that their voices were so beautiful – or at least Swirly-blue’s is.

Dean doesn’t understand any words in the song itself, if there are any, but he can definitely feel the emotions behind it. As beautiful as it is, the tune is so damn lonely that it makes Dean’s heart hurt. It’s probably the saddest thing he’s ever heard and it doesn’t take long for the song to start getting under his skin. This situation already sucks the big one and they both know it. The last thing Dean needs right now is to have Swirly-blue singing the saddest, loneliest little song in the history of the ocean to remind him about it.

Unfortunately for him, if Dean wants to tell Swirly-blue to stop it, he’ll need to make the kin-connection. He could try using his throat voice, but the water always makes all those words sound really muffled. Besides, there isn’t much chance that Swirly-blue will actually understand him. How likely is it that the fang-fin and the bright-fin have the same spoken language if they’ve never met before? The kin-connection makes conversing with everyone super easy because it doesn’t _need_ a language. Fin-kin communicate mostly with images and feelings and very few actual _words_.

Well, it can’t hurt to try. Dean huffs and lifts his head off the stone floor to get Swirly-blue’s attention. He’s definitely watching, but he doesn’t even miss a beat with his song. With his lips drawn back in a snarl, Dean growls out a command. “Shut. Up.”

Swirly-blue’s flexi-fins on the sides of his head twitch out at the sound. Either he understood what Dean said or he must have surprised him because the song actually stops. With a relieved sigh, Dean drops his head back to the ground and closes his eyes. Good. As much as he hates the silence, it’s still better than having to listen to a sad song that reminds him of just how unhappy he is right now. Of course it’s just his luck that Swirly-blue apparently didn’t understand the command because he starts up the song again a few moments later.

At this rate, Dean is getting pretty tempted to just make the kin-connection so he can tell him to shut the fuck up. It would just be in and out. A quick link and then he can break it right away without giving Swirly-blue the chance to rip his mind apart. But is it worth taking the risk? Is he _that_ annoyed by it? Or is there even a risk with doing it? Sam and the others apparently had the kin-connection with him and they’ve been completely fine so far. Dean’s pretty damn sure that if any of them had been hurt by Swirly-blue, he would have picked up on it over the last several days.

But there’s a big difference between _him_ and the others. Dean just tried to attack Swirly-blue. Sam and the others _saved_ him. They’ve been feeding him and helping him with his wounds. Sure, they’ve been keeping him tied up here, but he’s not exactly trying to leave right now either. Maybe he can’t or maybe he doesn’t want to, but that doesn’t really change how Dean literally just tried to attack him. Which means he’s defined himself as an enemy and that practically guarantees that Swirly-blue is going to be the dick of a bright-fin that he is and use the kin-connection for nothing short of _evil_ things.

No! He will be resolute. Dean is a strong warrior and he’s been through a whole bunch of things in his lifetime. They’ve all be way worse than this. He can put up with the singing until Sam and the others come back. It’s not like Swirly-blue will be able to keep singing the _whole_ time, right? No, of course he fucking could. He really couldn’t have been more wrong because Swirly-blue just doesn’t stop. The song keeps going and going and it melts into a different one that still sounds so very _lonely_ that Dean actually can’t stand it. He really can’t.

The song isn’t filling the silence of his head either. This has been twice as long as it took to follow Bobby and only Mother-sea knows how much longer it will be before the others come back. Maybe they won’t be coming back at all. They could just leave him here to rot with Swirly-blue while they hide the evidence of their crimes. And the worst part about that is how Swirly-blue at least stands a little more of a chance of surviving than Dean does.

With him being all tied up, it wouldn’t take much for Swirly-blue to kill him. Then he’ll have enough meat to last him long enough to heal up. Then he’ll have the energy to either try to move the rock in front of the tunnel entrance, or explore the rest of the tunnels and hope for another way out. He probably isn’t strong enough to move the rock blocking the entrance on his own. It looked big enough to need at least two fin-kin – maybe even three, because Sam is big enough to make up the difference of third fin-kin.

Either way, he’s got way more of a chance to survive. Dean is just – he’s trapped. He might never see the open ocean again and that's fucking _terrifying._ It takes a lot for him not to think about how Swirly-blue has been stuck in here for way longer than this. This tight feeling he has in his chest is just from a short little time in this cave. Swirly-blue has been here for _days_. How is he not completely crazy just from how alone he’s been? Dean can barely breathe this stale water and he hasn’t even been here for a fraction of the time of what Swirly-blue has had to go through.

Well, damn. No wonder his songs sound so fucking _sad_. He must be going out of his mind with loneliness right now and it doesn't help that Dean basically chased out what little contact he actually gets. Swirly-blue probably hates him all the more for that. How long were Sam and Jess here before Bobby showed up and Dean came crashing in? Probably not long enough for Swirly-blue to actually get any kind of comfort out of having the kin-connection.

It takes Dean a moment to realize that he's actually feeling _pity_ for his enemy. Oh sweet Mother-sea, what is _wrong_ with him? It must be the isolation-sickness. The only thing that would ever make him feel _anything_ for his enemies is nothing but madness. Clearly. Obviously. _Duh_. No, no, _no_. He will not let himself do that. The bright-fin are the whole damn reason that this war happened in the first place. It's _their_ fault that Dean has had to do all the shit he's done and he needs to focus on that before Swirly-blue somehow manages to brainwash him with his dumb song.

But burying those thoughts and trying to ignore them really isn't doing anything for him. His anger is still simmering away beneath his skin and that's not doing anything to stop Swirly-blue from moving on into a third sad song. By the time that song is done and he's moving into a fourth, the others still haven't come back and Dean's patience is rapidly deteriorating. There's something in his chest, clawing at his ribs and getting more desperate every moment that he goes without the kin-connection and stays closed off from the ocean.

That clawing feeling only gets worse. It's like it's trying to get out before more sad songs are sung. And it's starting to feel a lot like _loneliness_. Mother-sea, help him, he's just so fucking _alone_ right now. Dean's alone and he doesn't like it. Alone and hurt and that fucking bright-fin just keeps fucking _singing_. He just wants it to stop. Is that too much to ask? For the singing to stop, for Sam to come back, and for everything to be _right_ between them again? Everything got fucked up before he knew it and now he doesn't know he's supposed to do.

When his patience finally snaps, Dean doesn't even realize that he's reached through the kin-connection to touch Swirly-blue's mind until he's actually poking at it. Just the touch is enough to make Swirly-blue hesitate with his song again, and that was Dean's goal. But the feeling of another presence against his mind is like a breath of fresh water, even if the link hasn't been fully made yet. It's not even remotely as good as the taste of the open ocean, but it'll do and it'll probably only get better if Swirly-blue actually opens to his touch. Of course, Dean will have his own walls in place long before that happens.

Once he realizes what he's doing, Dean doesn't stop. It feels too good and he wants more. He wants the actual link. He wants the beautiful bright thoughts of another person in his head before he goes any crazier than he already has. Mother-sea help him, he just wants something _normal_ again. But he doubts that he's going to get it. Why would Swirly-blue make the kin-connection with him? After all, Dean doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve _anything_.

It's no surprise that Swirly-blue resists the touch at first. He pushes back against it as wall after wall surrounds his mind. Dean brushes against them anyways, seeking what little he can get from just sensing his mind. Before he can give it up for loss, the walls finally give just enough for the kin-connection to slide into place – and it feels _so good_. He almost groans at the feeling as Swirly-blue's mind fills the silence in his own head. It's mostly hidden from him – no thoughts, no feelings – but just having him _there_ feels better than Dean imagined it would.

The thing is, why is Swirly-blue blocking him out? It's understandable why _Dean_ is doing it. He was told right from the get go that the bright-fin are all about perverting the kin-connection and hurting him. But Swirly-blue is hiding everything as if _he_ was the one worried about that. It goes against pretty much everything that Dean knows. And isn't that _exactly_ what Sam, Jess, and Bobby, were telling him earlier?

The bright-fin were the ones who proclaimed war against them. They're the ones who sealed their minds first and swore that they'd attack any mind that attempted to link to theirs. They're the ones who are being just plain dicks about everything and refusing any kind of meeting with the Council. That's what Dean was told, but Swirly-blue is doing exactly the opposite of that.

Well, shit. That means something, doesn't it? Oh, whatever. Dean can think about that later. Right now he just wants to bask in the feeling of not being alone anymore. Being connected with even just one mind is more than enough to calm Dean down. He sighs in relief and lets go a little more on his anger. He might be linked to a fucking _bright-fin_ of all things, but it's all he's got right now and he's just going to have to make do with it.

Dean is more than happy to spend the rest of the time waiting for Sam to come back like this. He doesn't need to talk to Swirly-blue. He doesn't need to do anything, actually. The singing has stopped and that's exactly what he wanted. Now all he really needs to do is keep alert for any changes that might hint at Swirly-blue trying anything suspicious. For example, he should be wary if it feels like he's pressing harder against the walls of Dean's mind. If that happens, it would be more than enough for him to assume that Swirly-blue is up to no good and about to do something very not nice.

It's really no surprise when that feeling comes, but it's not the barrage that Dean was expecting. Swirly-blue's touch feels like he's being cautious and maybe just a little bit curious. Dean doesn't waver with his walls, but he does carefully reach around them. It's just a quick touch against Swirly-blue's thoughts with his own curiosity to see what he might be offering. If it's painful, he'll cut the whole damn kin-connection off and spend the rest of the time in silence. If it's not – well, he'll deal with that when he finds out what it is.

At first it's nothing, but then the walls around Swirly-blue's thoughts crack just a little. Dean braces himself for an onslaught of _something_ to rip into his own head, but it doesn't come - or at least, not right away. After a moment, an emotion slips through the kin-connection. It's what Swirly-blue is feeling right now and Dean is left _speechless_ by it. The first feeling is a taste of the frustrated anger he has. It's not the whole feeling, but Dean wouldn't be surprised if it actually dwarfs what _he's_ feeling.

He stares at Swirly-blue while the anger seeps out of the kin-connection to be replaced with another. And, honestly, the next one is even worse. It's a sadness that's just as vast as the whole damn ocean. Sure, Dean is upset at a lot of things, but it's nothing like this _grief_ , this – this complete and utter _sorrow_ that Swirly-blue is feeling right now. There's something a lot like _longing_ echoing through it all that's painful, but not in the way that makes Dean want to go on the defensive. It's _Swirly-blue_ 's pain and it runs really damn deep.

This isn't an attack on Dean's mind, but it's definitely a lot more sensations than Dean was expecting to feel right now – or ever, really. All of Swirly-blue’s emotions are way more vibrant and _alive_ than Dean thought he'd be getting from one of the bastards who refused to share this area with hsi colony. If the bright-fin could be so selfish as to lay claim to _everything_ around here – which is more than enough to sustain a good few colonies, at least – who would have really expected one of the same fin-kin to be capable of having feelings like _this_?

It's more than Dean can take right now and he quickly withdraws back behind his own walls. He doesn't close the kin-connection completely, but he can't stand touching those feelings anymore. The silence is too much for him and they're way too far from the colony to be alone again. Dean isn't looking forward to the silence, so he can’t bring himself to let it go of the kin-connection again. But he is definitely capable of hiding from Swirly-blue and his _feelings_.

A shiver runs through him, especially when he realizes that Swirly-blue is staring at him again. It's a piercing look that stabs through Dean and it's getting really hard to meet his eyes. He has to look away and remind himself to breathe. Dean shushes a good chunk of his mind before it wants to pick apart and analyze what all _that_ meant. Swirly-blue must have a reason for why he shared what he did, but what that might be is more than Dean wants to think about right now. Doing that would be acknowledging that he's been _really_ wrong this whole war and his pride won't allow that.

When the singing starts up again, Dean doesn't have the heart to try and tell Swirly-blue to stop it. He's sad and lonely and this is apparently how bright-fin deal with that. Dean doesn't have any songs to sing himself, but he can listen to it. This time, it's actually not too bad. It's kind of touching on the same feelings that Dean has and the more he listens to it, the more calming it is. The songs are something to focus on and Dean shifts on his side, shuffling around so he can watch Swirly-blue without having to crane his neck weirdly.

As he gets accustomed to the songs, Dean's mind – and his eyes – start to wander. He knew that Swirly-blue had been hurt, obviously, but he didn't really take stock of just _how_ badly that rock slide had fucked him up. At first glance, all he can see are some fading bruises. They must have been really bad if it's taken them this many days to fade this much. Most bruises for Dean barely last more than a few days and he assumes that bright-fin have the same kind of healing as the fang-fin do.

Since Swirly-blue isn't leaving at all, does that mean he's too injured to swim? Dean can't tell how bad his wounds are just from looking at him, but whatever happened to him must be bad enough if it's keeping him here when he's not bound. Bright-fin are fucking _fast_ , in Dean's experience, and Swirly-blue could easily hide down one of the side tunnels by the entrance to the network. If he did that, he could totally make a break for freedom the moment he has the opportunity for it. But he's not doing that. He's not even making an attempt to do it.

Dean tries not to wonder too much about the injuries he can't see. If he spend too much time thinking about it, he might start to worry. And that basically means that he's worrying about Swirly-blue and he absolutely will not do that. Nuh-uh. No way. He may have better insight into his enemy right now, but that doesn’t mean he needs to start feeling _bad_ for this glowing dick.

Swirly-blue’s ability to multitask is impressive. His singing doesn’t even stutter on a single note when he reaches out to poke at the walls around Dean’s mind again. What could he want now? Is it to make Dean feel even _more_ pity for him? Or is he up to something else? Dean deliberates about it for a short while before he reaches over the walls again, doing it with a cautious touch because Swirly-blue could still be a complete _jerk_ about this. When nothing more than a curiosity meets him, that brings up all kinds of questions.

Why isn’t Swirly-blue sharing his emotions again? Does he actually want to talk? What does he want to talk about? Dean has his own questions for him too, but nothing that he _really_ wants to ask badly enough to drop the walls enough to have a _conversation_. But Swirly-blue is making the effort. He’s reaching out to him for something and it might just be his own boredom and curiosity that will be Dean’s undoing. It’s not like he has anything else to do. Sam already did it, right? Besides, what harm could talking with Swirly-blue _really_ do?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time to find out and there is no beating around the kelp bed here. Castiel takes the direct approach with his inquiry. _(Are you Green-eyes?)_ He allows his curiosity to brush against Dean’s mind, but leaves it only at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)
> 
> **UNEDITED**

Castiel is very torn about many things. For one, he can’t decide if this has been the most interesting rotation of his life or if it’s been the worst. It has, however, without a doubt been the _loneliest_ rotation ever. He also can’t decide if death would have been more preferable to living each day with the horrifying possibility that his fang-fin captors won’t be coming back. It is a very real worry that after they leave today he’ll be waking up tomorrow and he’ll find that they’ve abandoned him to starve and rot in this little cave – if he doesn’t go _mad_ from the silence in the kin-connection first.

There are very few positive things that he can glean from having happened over the last several days. Of course what little he does consider to be good things are all things that are, in the grand scheme of things, really _huge_. For example, Castiel has officially learned that the fang-fin Council has actually been _lying_ to their entire colony. Or, at the very least, _some_ of them – possibly even _most_ of them. It’s astounding and he can barely wrap his head around how they actually managed to pull it off. It’s quite the feat to lie with the kin-connection in the first place. He has his ideas of how they managed it, but he might never know for certain without asking them.

Another example of some good things that happened this last rotation is that Castiel actually managed to befriend some fang-fin. More or less. Perhaps he wouldn’t actually call them _friends_. After all, they have each admitted to having killed bright-fin in battle. It only took a few deaths for them to realize that they weren’t comfortable with it and had to stop. But Castiel still struggles with forgiving them for it. However they seemed to have no problem with forgiving him for having killed a fang-fin. Their cultures are apparently _very_ different and it’s yet another thing that Castiel finds hard to grasp.

On the bright side, he’s also been learning about the fang-fin. Honestly, it’s not a _lot_ of information, but it’s more than he knew when he first woke up in this cave. Sam and his group of friends are all still very secretive about themselves and that is one of the few things Castiel understands about them. They _are_ in the middle of a war, after all, and he _is_ technically an enemy. He can’t be considered a friend just because he’s spent the last rotation talking with them. Or because he’s helping them strategize ways to spread the word among their colony of the lies they’ve been told without tipping off the Council and potentially getting themselves killed in the process.

It really is astounding to see how different Sam and his friends are from the fang-fin that Castiel has come to know on the battlefield. All he knows of them is their brutality and his assumptions from the meeting with the Council. His first conversation with Charlie had been pleasant and had only made him excited about the fang-fin. He’s seen her multiple times since he woke up here and every conversation since has been fine. Same with Bobby, Jess, Ellen and Jo, and the various other fang-fin he’s come to know over the last rotation.

After technically being taken _prisoner_ by them, Castiel hadn’t expected their kindness to include bringing him medical salves and more food than he needs on a daily basis. It looks and smells a lot like what the healers back in the bright-fin colony make and Castiel can only wonder if the fang-fin have the same recipes or not. Those are exactly the kinds of things that he would love to learn about their colony. But it’s not like he can spend what little time he has with the group that visits to talk about everything like that. They have to use their time wisely and discussing ways to overthrow the Council are really the only things they _have_ talked about.

Sure, it gets boring, but sometimes they tell him about other things. They all still fight in whatever battles their divisions are sent to, if they’re there for it, but they’ve all long since stopped killing others. It gives him some measure of comfort to hear that, but it does nothing to stop his stomach from twisting itself into knots when he hears the stories of how his colony has been functioning since his disappearance. For him, it’s just a reminder that his family thinks he’s dead and that he can’t be there to help his colony at the moment.

Every day that passes causes the ache in Castiel’s chest to grow. All he wants is to be with his family again and help them. If he could only tell Michael that the fang-fin Council lied to them and this whole war has been a sham, he’s sure that they could bring about an end to it. Even if he doesn’t know an actual way to do it right now, Michael would. Between all his siblings, Castiel knows that they would be able to figure out a way to end this war.

But the only way to see them again is to get out of here and Castiel would never make it all the way home. If the fang-fin didn’t find him first, then some predator would likely pick him off on the long journey back to his territory. Sam and the others have made it perfectly clear that he has the _entire_ fang-fin colony and their claimed territory between him and his family. Aside from that, Castiel just can’t actually leave. He’s bound and he knows that they have the entrance to the caverns blocked off when they’re not here. Jo said as much to try and deter him from attempting to escape.

It seems that she is not aware that Castiel _can’t_ escape. He can’t even reach the entrance to _this_ particular cavern. The metal rope around his waist keeps him in place – not that it matters. He wouldn’t risk trying to swim while his fans are still ripped. If they got worse, they might never heal. Or they might heal wrongly and give him a handicap while swimming. Besides, he’s tried multiple times to pull apart the folded link in the metal rope, but it’s very sturdy and his fingers hurt far too much from trying to open it. They still throb with pain even now.

Whoever folded the link in the first place is _much_ stronger than Castiel is. After having been on the receiving end of many blows from a fang-fin, he is already aware that they are superior in size and strength. So this is of little surprise – though it _is_ exceptionally annoying. Castiel hates the feeling of the cold metal around his waist. It’s heavy and uncomfortable. On some nights, the weight of it actually makes it hard for him to sleep.

Of course that isn’t aided _at all_ by how much he misses everything about his life. He’s only been gone from the colony for one rotation and he actually _aches_ for the familiar. Castiel wants to see his home trench and the fin-kin he loves. He wants to hear their songs, even if it’s the sad songs of mourning. His family, his friends, everyone he ever knew – he misses them so much. Mother-sea, help him, he misses them more than he misses having the constant kin-connection or even the taste of the open ocean.

A little bit of him dies for every moment that he’s trapped here. When he’s alone and the fang-fin aren’t here to keep him company, his songs do little to fill the silence in his head. They give him some measure of comfort, but not as much as Castiel would like them to. Which is why, as much as it pains him to admit it, he _is_ grateful to Sam and the rest of his group of friends for visiting him. He’s even grateful for Jo – though he still has a slightly bitter grudge towards her for how she knocked him out.

Even though they’re fang-fin and his captors, they’re still living and breathing fin-kin. They have the kin-connection and they go out of their way to come here daily to make the links with him. Castiel doesn’t care that the only reason they come is to learn about the truth of the war and to use his ability to strategize against the Council. That alone is obscenely difficult if only because he doesn’t actually know much of anything about the Council.

It doesn’t help that he doesn’t get consistent information with how many people he speaks to about it. Not to mention that the group keeps switching out between all the fang-fin that he knows. Of the several that he has become acquainted to over the last rotation, two or three of them will show up in the morning and then change out with someone else in the evening to keep anyone from noticing their absence. It would be far too noticeable if any of them were gone for the whole day.

Every single member of that group has been by during this last rotation. Castiel knows them all by name, by scent, and obviously by sight. There aren’t as many of them as he would hope there were. At best, there’s _maybe_ just more than a dozen of them in Sam’s little ragtag group of rebels. That’s a dozen or so against _hundreds_. Their colony is roughly the same size as Castiel’s and that’s several hundred strong. If they want to have any chance against the Council without the entire colony turning on them, Sam’s group is going to need pick out those they can sway them to their sides with the truth until they have enough to be a formidable force against the ones who lied to them.

Out of the rebels, which is how Castiel prefers to refer to them, few of them are here every day. Sam is one of the only ones that Castiel sees consistently. Jess has been here every other day and they’ve been alternating between everyone else. Luckily, he gets along fairly well with every one of the rebels so far. He does not look forward to the day someone shows up who _isn’t_ happy with him being here. Hopefully it never happens.

Unsurprisingly, it is Sam and Jess who are the first to arrive on this particular morning. As soon as the kin-connection is made with the both of them, Castiel allows a part of himself to relax. Out of necessity, he is always on guard. Despite knowing that everything they’ve spoken about in the kin-connection with the rebels is true, he can’t allow himself to fully relax while they’re here. That would be suicide. If he’s not always ready for something to happen, he won’t be prepared for when a fang-fin comes in with the intention to do very bad things.

 _(Good morning, Castiel.)_ Jess smiles at him as she glides closer, a bag full of fish in here hands. _(Did you have a good night?)_

 _(As good as one can have here.)_ It’s a sour response, but Castiel can’t help it. He wants his freedom and until he has it, he’ll be as displeased with this situation as he wants to be. Despite that, he still dips his head and thanks her when she gives him what will be both breakfast and lunch. Dinner will be brought by whomever shows up for the evening shift of, essentially, baby-watching him.

Jess and Sam stay toward the middle of the cave and talk amongst themselves while Castiel eats. He watches them carefully as he tears into the fish. They’re talking about Sam’s older brother and his new responsibilities. Just from listening in, Castiel has determined that he must have been given a promotion. From what _to_ what he doesn’t really know, or care. Which is why he has absolutely no problem with interrupting their conversation to ask a question that has been bugging him for the last few days.

 _(Sam.)_ That gets their attention and they turn to him, their conversation ending in the middle of it. _(May I ask a question?)_

An encouraging tug dances against the walls still firmly place around the majority of his thoughts and emotions. It can never hurt to be safe. _(Of course. What’s up?)_

 _(Why are you here every day?)_ Why does he have so much free time compared to the others? There have been days during this rotation where Sam was here from morning to night and none of the others have done that thus far. _(To my understanding, it’s risky to be gone from your colony for as often as you have been. Why?)_

The mood in the kin-connection darkens and Sam looks away. He settles heavily on the fold of his tail and stares at the floor for a long while before he answers. During his silence, Jess puts a hand on his shoulder and Castiel can sense a fraction of the comfort she feeds into the kin-connection to him. Is this a touchy subject? Maybe it would have been better of him to have more tact before he spoke. Well, too bad. What’s done is done.

 _(It’s my brother.)_ Sam sighs and he puts his hand over Jess’s. He glances to her with a small smile before looking back to Castiel. _(The war has changed him and I – I don’t want to lose him to it. If all I’m risking is my absence being noticed, then I’ll do this a thousand times over to stop him from becoming the monster he’s well on his way to being.)_

Jess moves close enough to wrap her arms around him and they share a brief hug. It’s an intimate moment and Castiel averts his eyes for it. _(Dean is all the family Sam has left. He’s like family to a lot of us too and none of us want to see him like this.)_

Whether she knows it or not, Jess just gave Castiel another piece of information that he stores away. Dean. The name of the brother who hates him. It might not be of any use to him, but he can never be sure. That’s why it’s always a good idea to remember _everything_. He’ll never know what might come in handy if his situation should ever change.

 _(We’re going to end this war so he won’t have to fight it anymore.)_ Sam says firmly. Nodding his head to punctuate the statement. He doesn’t elaborate further on why Dean believes he _has_ to fight. Clearly Sam and the others don’t since some of them have been missing the many battles that have been happening since Castiel’s accidental capture.

Really, though, he doesn’t need further explanation. If he was in Sam’s place, no matter the circumstances, he would do everything in his power to stop any of his siblings from losing themselves. It was all he could do to convince the Council to create the rescue teams to give them and _everyone_ a better chance at surviving the battlefield. He can only hope that in his own absence someone has managed to carry on with his work and that no one he knows – no one he _loves_ – has fallen while he’s been gone.

Castiel can only nod and share his sympathy through the kin-connection. He doesn’t say it, but he thinks that if this war had never happened, he would have been actual _friends_ with Sam and Jess. Without the war, they might have had a good relationship. Right now, however, it is tenuous at best. Once he is actually _free_ then it might get better. But for as long as there is this metal rope around his waist, they will be – well, he doesn’t have a word for it. They’re more than acquaintances, but they’re not exactly comrades. Or are they?

It doesn’t matter. What matters is that he helps Sam and the rest of the rebels figure out how to stop their Council so they can end this war. And they need to do it before someone catches them. Honestly, Castiel is rather surprised that no one has actually caught them yet. It’s only a matter of time and it would be of no shock if Sam’s brother – if _Dean_ – were the one to find them first. He’s lost track of how many times Sam has mentioned how tenacious his older brother is and complained that it’s getting harder and harder to hiding these things from him.

If only Castiel hadn’t thought about that in the morning. Thinking about it made it a possibility and that usually means that it will absolutely happen. Or, at least, that’s how it is in Castiel’s unfortunate experience. It comes as no surprise to him that they find Bobby had been followed shortly after he arrives towards the middle of the day with an additional bag of fish. He’s barely put the bag aside and established the kin-connection with Bobby before another fang-fin is crashing into the cavern.

Horror and surprise rip through the kin-connection. Sam and the others turn around sharply with a collective despair at having been found out. Though Castiel is startled by the sudden arrival, he still expected this to happen at some point. It was only a matter of time. But the still spreads all his fins in a threatening display and brightens his glow to see by. He may be bound and trapped here but he will _not_ go down without a fight. If this fang-fin wants to kill him, then he won’t be leaving without some injuries of his own. Even bound, he could probably hold his own against this fang-fin long enough for the others to stop him from _seriously_ hurting him.

 _(Dean, wait!)_ Sam twists to place himself between Castiel and the one who is now undoubtedly his older brother. _(I can explain!)_

From Castiel’s perspective, Dean hardly has any resemblance to his brother. He has spots on his scales and skin, but they’re not nearly as apparent as the ones Sam has. Dean isn’t quite as long or as bulky as his brother. But there _is_ something about him that gives Castiel a sense of familiarity from this fang-fin. It’s his name that tells him he’s Sam’s brother, but he’s never been shared an image of what he looks like in the kin-connection. So why does Castiel feel like he knows him, somehow?

No, wait. Didn’t Sam say that Castiel has been a problem for his brother on the battlefield? It’s likely that he’s met him in battle on more than one occasion, then. That would account for why Sam says that Dean is a fearsome warrior. Well, be that as it may, Castiel won’t die at the hands of a fang-fin. Not here, not now, and certainly not as their _prisoner_. He’s learned a lot about them over this last rotation, but he’ll give himself to Mother-sea before he’ll ever let them take the last of his dignity from him.

Does Dean recognize him too? He must. Wasn’t he the one who gave Castiel that ridiculous name? Twisty-blue, or something ridiculous like that. Dean has been weaving back and forth since he entered the cave and he hasn’t taken his eyes off Castiel – despite Sam’s best efforts to block him from view. He’s on the receiving end of the darkest glare he’s ever seen and that’s saying something considering he knows Raphael quite well.

When Castiel bares his fangs in a hiss, Jess flashes warning into the kin-connection. _(Don’t do anything!)_

Bobby agrees with her immediately. _(She’s right. Don’t do anything to encourage an attack. We’re gonna stop him, but you can’t do anything.)_

Sam has his arms spread while he acts as a shield. _(We won’t let him hurt you, but just – just don’t do anything unless you **absolutely** have to. Don’t give him any more reason to hate you.)_

That’s a good point, but Castiel doesn’t particularly like it. _(Fine.)_ He keeps himself in an aggressive posture. At this point, he doesn’t care if that doesn’t help the situation. Castiel is _not_ about to let Dean think that just because he’s bound and injured doesn’t mean that he’s an easy target. He is anything _but_ and he is more than ready to prove it.

Realization flashes across Dean’s face and Castiel only has a moment to wonder what it’s about before the cave erupts in a flurry of movement. With a snarl that chills Castiel to his bones, Dean throws himself forward. He grabs at the stone columns to pull himself around them, putting it between him and Sam in an attempt to get around him. It _does_ help him avoid Sam and in that instant Castiel prepares himself for a fight.

 _(Dean!)_ Sam’s cry echoes through the whole kin-connection and not just the link he shares with his brother. He just barely manages to grab Dean’s tail at the last moment and immediately starts trying to pull him back. _(Will you just **listen** to me? I said **wait**!)_

Without warning, Dean comes to a sudden stop. His growls continue and he thrashes, his claws scraping across the floor of the cave. Castiel’s glow is enough to make Dean’s pupils contract, the black receding sharply. He hisses and squints as he’s pulled back by Sam, but not before Castiel catches a flash of _green_. Impossible. Dean isn’t – is he the same Green-eyes that Castiel knows from the battlefield? Do coincidences like that even exist?

But hasn’t he seen Green-eyes’s face before? There was that time when he was saving Samandriel, but his memories of that moment are a blur. Others have seen Green-eyes’s face and shared it with him, but for the life of him Castiel can’t bring it to mind now. When adrenaline is running high on the battlefield, it tends to eat away at one’s memories. He’s lucky if he can remember anything that happens out there on any given day – not that he wants to. There are memories he has that he wishes he didn’t and Castiel can only hope that they will fade when this war is over.

Sam is bracing himself against one of the pillars to hold his brother back and it’s actually working surprisingly well. Castiel watches, fascinated, as Jess and Bobby throw themselves across Dean’s back to hold him in place. No matter how much he fights, he just can’t throw off the three of them. Even so, Castiel stays on guard, just in case.

The kin-connection is a mess of their feelings – frustration, anger, annoyance, and everything in between. Their minds are still mostly hidden from him, including anything that Dean might be saying. If he’s talking to them, they’re not sharing it with him. Understandably, though. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they are. This is something private between family and friends and they need to work this out for themselves somehow. Exactly what way they choose to do that will be interesting to see. Do they value Castiel’s life more than being loyal to Dean?

Even though he didn’t share that thought with them, Castiel is surprised when he sees them flinch. Their emotions leave the kin-connection quickly as they shield themselves from him and he’s _certain_ that it isn’t anything that he said. Dean must have said something to upset them. It’s surprising that even with three fang-fin pinning him, Dean still hasn’t stopped struggling. He must know by now that it’s a futile endeavor. Fang-fin are strong, but he can’t possibly throw off _three_ others, right?

 _(Please, just **calm down.** ) _Sam’s thoughts echo through the kin-connection over the walls around his mind. He’s talking to Dean, but Castiel still appreciates being kept abreast of the situation. _(I need you to listen to us, okay? We can’t let you up until you listen to us.)_

Hopefully they won’t let him up at all. That’s not to say that Castiel hopes they’ll kill him, but how are they planning to deal with this situation? Dean is now a liability to all of them. If he escapes this cave, he could very well head back to the fang-fin Council. And that means Castiel is in even more danger than he was before. If they don’t deal with Dean here, then _he_ will – bound or not.

Someone who _isn’t_ sharing their thoughts with him must say something because Dean goes still. Even his growls cut off sharply. Castiel wonders if it was Jess, though it could have been Bobby. He _is_ Dean’s senior after all. It’s possible that he either holds a higher position than Dean or fang-fin respect their elders more than Castiel thinks they do. He can only hope that it will be enough to calm Dean to the point that they can have a sensible conversation with him.

Those hopes are dashed almost immediately as Bobby shakes his head and looks towards the others. _(He’s not going to listen, Sam. We’re gonna need to restrain him or knock him out.)_ His thoughts are being shared again, but his emotions are hidden. It’s making Castiel uncomfortable. What do they have to hide from him about this?

 _(That’s just **great**.) _ Sam groans and he looks around the cavern before his gaze lands on Castiel. _(Can you two hold him? I’ve got an idea.)_

Jess glances between the two of them before she changes her position to lay across Dean’s back a bit better as Bobby moves down to take over holding  down Dean’s tail. Castiel watches, half amused and half confused, as Sam swims to him. As soon as he’s out of reach, Dean starts struggling again. He certainly has more movement than he did before, but he’s still pinned. Hopefully they’ll be able to hold him while Sam does whatever it is that he’s planning on doing.

 _(Can I trust you?)_ Sam touches at Castiel’s mind cautiously, eyeing him closely as he approaches. _(Can you trust **me**?)_

 _(I don’t know.)_ He turns his stare to him, eyes narrowed. _(It depends on what exactly it is that you’re planning to do.)_

Sam swims a little closer and glances down at the metal rope around Castiel’s waist. _(I need that. If we’re quick, we’ll be able to tie him up before he can do anything. The only thing is that you can’t try to escape. We can protect you here, but out there it will be a whole heck of a lot harder.)_

As if Castiel could get very far with his end-fans in this state. It’s laughable, really. But he does like being alive, learning about the fang-fin, and actually working towards ending this cursed war. Being here is better than being out there with the whole of the fang-fin colony between him and his home. It’s certain death out there and only slightly possible death in here. He may want to see his family again, but he knows what the best decision here would be – especially since it means finally getting rid of this ridiculous metal rope.

Castiel nods and shifts to lean back on his hands and bare the rope to him. _(Fine. But if I feel like I’m being threatened in any way, I **will** do something about it.)_

 _(I would expect nothing less.)_ Sam sighs and drifts closer, his fingers picking at the links. _(I’m sorry about this. Dean is – I should have been better prepared for this. We all should have.)_

 _(It’s fine. At least something interesting has finally happened. I was getting bored.)_ His jest goes unappreciated and completely ignored. He’s not surprised and he doesn’t attempt to make another joke while he keeps a close eye on what Sam is doing. Even if Castiel trusts him the most out of everyone here, he can’t be too careful. Sam is still a fang-fin and he could very easily claw Castiel’s stomach open right now if he chooses to be loyal to his brother now. There is no doubt in his mind that Dean likely sees this all as an ultimate betrayal to him and probably to their colony too.

Dean’s growls start again when Sam pulls the link open. He uses his bare hands to do it and Castiel marvels at it, wondering if his fingers hurt at all from it like his own did. It’s difficult to contain his relieved sigh once Sam has unwrapped the metal rope from around him and gathered it up. Castiel absently touches his hips and stomach, fingertips glancing over the blend of skin to scales. It feels so good to be free of the weight of the rope, but he doesn’t have the time to be paying that much mind right now. He should be keeping an eye on what Sam is doing with the metal rope and his brother.

It would be an outright lie for Castiel to say that he doesn’t at least _think_ about trying to escape right now. Of course he won’t try it, but his eyes stray to the part of the cave where the fang-fin come and go – the part where the columns of stone hide from him the way out of here. While they’re dealing with Dean, Castiel could at least _try_ and get out of here. He wouldn’t get far, but at least he would have the satisfaction of actually trying.

But if he tried to leave, he wouldn’t be able to see how this plays out and he is _very_ curious to see what Sam and the others will do now. Castiel watches as Sam frees the other end of the metal rope from the rocks pinning it. Of course _he_ was able to pull it out easily. Castiel has tried, but he could barely make it move even a little bit. The sting to his pride is a bitter one and Castiel ignores it as he turns his attention back to Dean. It’s of little surprise to find that he is on the end of yet another angry glare.

He remains a silent observer as Sam weaves the metal rope around Dean’s waist and wrists, pinning them in the small of his back just before the swell of his tail. The excess length of the rope is wrapped around the base of Dean’s end-fin, forcing his tail to curve back slightly. If Dean tried to straighten it, he would be pulling his arms back further. If he pulls at his arms, his tail will be bent further. It’s an interesting choice, but Castiel can easily see a flaw. To get the slack he would need to be comfortable, Dean only needs to fold his tail as if he were to sit on it.

When he points this out, Sam shrugs and winces while he closes off the last of the metal rope. _(We’re not looking to hurt him or make him uncomfortable. Just incapacitate him. He can’t get out of this even if he has slack.)_

Even so, Sam and the others – and Castiel too – all wait with baited breath to see if Dean is able to break free once they back away slowly. Despite the wriggling and writhing, Dean remains bound and Castiel can breathe a little easier because of it. But that doesn’t seem to deter Dean any. He continues struggling, teeth bared and it doesn’t take long before the tang of blood scents the water. It’s weak, but Castiel figures it must be from Dean’s wrists, his tail, or perhaps he’s accidentally bitten his tongue or his lips. That’s a possibility, given how much he’s snarling.

He knows that Dean has done something in the kin-connection again when Sam flinches and actually glances away. Moments later Jess and Bobby do the same. They all share a guilty look between them and Jess drifts close enough to put a comforting hand on Sam’s shoulder. There’s pain on their faces and anger in Bobby’s. Castiel understands it all and remains quiet in his corner of the cave.

 _(I’m sorry, Dean.)_ Sam shakes his head after a moment and shrugs Jess’s hand from his shoulder. _(Even if you never forgive me for this, I’ll never forgive myself if I let you hurt him.)_

That certainly helps Castiel’s trust in him grow. He’s _actually_ willing to betray his own brother for this. Dean understands what’s being said and he bares his teeth in an angry snarl before he turns over. It’s almost as though he’s sulking when he turns his back to all of them. In fact, that’s probably exactly what he’s doing. Bobby, however, seems to have other plans. Castiel honestly expects Dean to bite Bobby’s hand when he swims around to his other side and takes Dean’s face between his hands.

Whatever they say to each other is in private. Sam and Jess wait in silence and Castiel is forced to do the same. It would be rude of him to interrupt during such an important moment. When Bobby pats Dean on the cheek and puts his head down, Castiel’s back-fans flex curiously. He glances between all the fang-fin present and he shifts to curl his tail under him. There’s a question swelling in the kin-connection and he can’t hold it back any more.

_(What happens now?)_

They turn to him with matching looks that all look so very lost. None of them seem to have any idea of what they should do now. Sam rubs his hands over his face and he looks at Jess and Bobby as if they might know what to do. They all just shake their heads and shrug, their teeth worrying at their bottom lips or hands running through hair. Bobby scratches absently at his beard and frowns at the floor for the longest of times.

It’s not long before Jess looks nervously between Castiel and Dean. _(We can’t leave them here like this. What if Dean breaks the rope? He would kill –)_

Castiel’s pride bristles and his upper lip draws back at the mere fact that she would insinuated he would just _let_ Dean kill him. Sam interrupts her before he can. _(He can’t get out, Jess. Don’t worry. He’s tied up good and tight. Even Dean can’t get out of that.)_

Bobby sighs and nods in agreement. _(He’ll be a bit uncomfortable, but he’ll be fine.)_

 _(He’s not really the one I’m worried about.)_ Jess looks pointedly at Castiel and his fans flare unhappily at the glance. _(I don’t think we should leave them alone together. Dean’s strong and smart. He could get free and – I just think we should have one of us stay behind and watch over them.)_

Oh, Castiel has some words for her about that. He has _plenty_ of words. But he holds them back to allow the three of them to work out what they believe needs to happen next. Sam shakes his head and touches her shoulder. _(We need all our voices at this meeting. We all have our strengths and we’re all going to have to be there to talk about what we’re going to do about this.)_

He slips away from her again and forces a smile that even Castiel can tell is horribly fake. _(Besides, Dean needs his cool down time when he’s angry like this. Best way to do that is to leave him alone for a while.)_

There’s one big problem with that and Jess is the one who points it out this time. _(He’s **not** alone.)_

 _(You really think that these two are going to get any closer than this?)_ Sam gestures between Castiel and Dean with a flick of his hand while he arcs toward the side of the cave where the exit is hidden. It’s a good point, but Castiel still feels like they’re hinting that he wouldn’t be able to take care of himself and he doesn’t like it.

Jess looks between the two of them again before she shrugs and follows after Sam. _(No, I suppose not.)_ She gives Castiel an odd smile that only makes his frown deepen. _(I guess we **do** have someone to watch over Dean, after all. You’re on our side too, aren’t you?)_

 _(Obviously.)_ He hisses at the idea that he _wouldn’t_ do that and he looks away from them all to narrow his eyes at Dean. _(I **will** watch over him for you, but if he tries anything and I feel threatened, then I will absolutely protect myself.)_

Bobby’s grim smile is nothing short of terrifying. _(If he was dumb enough to try anything, whatever you do to him would be deserved. But if y’can, we’d appreciate you **not** killing him.)_

Castiel crosses his arms and his fins flex angrily. He’s aware that Dean has turned over to glare at him, but he doesn’t it stop him from shaking his head at the others. _(I can’t promise that. I will **try** but there is no guarantee.)_

Sam changes directions suddenly, circling around a stone spire that rises from the floor to make his way back to Castiel. He sits on the fold of his tail and fixes Castiel with the biggest, saddest eyes he has ever seen outside of Gabriel. _(I know it’s a lot to ask, Cas, but **please** don’t kill him. Dean is rough around the edges, but he’s not a bad guy. He’s just made some bad decisions.)_

_(And that’s cause for me **not** to protect myself?)_

_(No. That’s just me begging you not to kill the only family I have left.)_

That catches Castiel off guard and he stares Sam down for a very long time. But if there’s one thing he can understand, it’s family. If he were in Sam’s position and that was one of _his_ siblings bound on the floor of a cave, he would likely be making the same request. With a sigh, he nods and lowers all of his fans except for his side-fans. Those remain flared as he turns a glare to Dean. When he finds him glaring back, Castiel huffs and looks away. He doesn’t have to interact with Dean while they’re gone and he’s certainly not going to _try_ to talk to him.

Being forced to yield the argument leaves a foul taste in Castiel’s mouth nonetheless and he barely acknowledges when the others wave goodbye. They slip out of sight behind the stone columns and Castiel lets the kin-connection with all three of them drop. He’s learned over the last rotation that it is an extremely uncomfortable feeling to have the link stretched to its limits before it breaks on its own. It’s _far_ more preferable to just sever the kin-connection on his own – even if it means that the echoing silence fills his head _yet again_.

It’s not long after the rebels have left before Dean starts struggling again. Castiel wishes that he would stop. The scuffling sounds and the clanking of the metal rope banging against itself is annoying and it’s disturbing the peace and quiet of the cave. After spending several nights here alone, he has grown accustomed to the cave be a certain way. Now it’s being disrupted and he can’t decide if he’s happy for it or not. Of _course_ he’s happy to actually have someone else here, but it’s not like he has the kin-connection with Dean. Castiel knows better than to try doing that.

According to Sam, Dean has followed every order he’s ever been given by the Council. Which means that it is exceptionally unlikely that he would accept the kin-connection if Castiel tried to establish a link with him. Worse yet, he might actually lash out for it, thinking that Castiel was attempting an attack. It would be an entirely incorrect assumption, but that’s exactly what Dean’s been led to believe and it would be unwise of Castiel to try to sway him to the truth – especially after Dean’s entire world has been completely turned head over fin.

For now, it’s best that he keeps his distance. It would be nice to bring another fang-fin to their side and Castiel would be willing to make the effort, but not right now. Sam was right. Dean needs to calm down. Once he’s willing to at least _think_ before he reacts, that’s when Castiel will actually consider talking with him. Until then, he should wait until Dean reaches out to him. That will cause less problems for everyone in the end.

Now the only thing left for Castiel to do is amuse himself with the fact that Dean is apparently an outstanding warrior and he’s had his back to someone he considers an enemy for an outstanding length of time. He’s counting the moments that pass to see how long it takes him to realize this. When Dean finally turns over to glare at him again, Castiel forces himself not to smile or laugh. There aren’t many things he can do to amuse himself here, so he plans to take his pleasures where he can.

After that fun is over, Castiel starts counting the time between Dean’s struggles against the metal rope. He fights in intervals, but he doesn’t seem to have given up quite yet. But the spaces in between his attempts grow longer and longer. Eventually, after what is a frankly absurd amount of time, Dean stops. He sags limply to the cave floor with a defeated sigh and Castiel wonders if he’s actually done now. When Dean doesn’t pick it up again, boredom sets in rather quickly.

Well, _now_ what is he supposed to do? Well, he could do the same thing he’s been doing since he got here. Dean might not like it, but until he stops being a great big grump and reaches out to talk to Castiel, there’s not much else he can do. With a tired sigh, Castiel slides back slightly to lean against the wall of the cave. His throat is a bit sore from how much singing he’s been doing, but that doesn’t stop him from opening his mouth and starting again. It’s all he does when he’s waiting for the rebels to return and it does bring him a bit of a comfort.

If Castiel closes his eyes, he can almost convince himself that he’s home again. The way his voice echoes in the cave is almost enough to fool him into thinking there are other voices joining in alongside his. He knows it’s not true, but it helps. Actually, it only seems to be helping _him_. Dean, however, seems to be of a different opinion. He’s staring at Castiel with wide eyes. It’s a look of surprise, but not one of upset – at least not at first.

His surprise quickly falls into a dark scowl and it’s accompanied by an even darker glare. Castiel expected as much from him, but that’s not going to stop him from doing one of the few things that actually makes being trapped here somewhat bearable. If Dean doesn’t like his singing, he can just tough it out. If he can’t put up with it, then Castiel could help him sleep in the same way that Jo made _him_ sleep. That might not help matters much, but it would make Castiel feel a little better. That way, Dean won’t think that he isn’t capable of protecting himself.

While he sings, Castiel watches Dean for any further reaction. All he does is lift his head off the floor after a while. His upper lip draws back and, for a moment, Castiel is actually curious about what he plans to do. Does Dean plan to try and _growl_ him into submission? It’s a ridiculous enough thought that Castiel almost feels the urge to laugh. That feeling dies away and the song catches in Castiel’s throat when Dean actually opens his mouth and _speaks_ something.

His side-fins flick out and the spines spread to catch the rough words. He doesn’t understand them, but he could hazard a guess at what they might mean. And _no_ he will not stop singing. If Dean wants him to stop, he needs to use the kin-connection to ask him. Once they have that, Castiel can get to work with helping open Dean’s eyes to the evils of his Council. He’ll do what all the rebels haven’t been able to do for a whole season.

Dean rolls his eyes and drops his head again when Castiel picks up his song exactly where it ended. Most of his fun right now is being derived from waiting to see what Dean is going to do next. It’s not all _that_ entertaining, but it’s all he has until they make the kin-connection. Now it’s a battle of who is more stubborn. Can Dean put up with the songs longer than Castiel can sing? Or will Castiel’s voice give out before then? He doesn’t particularly plan on losing this self-imposed competition.

It’s clear that his song is only antagonizing Dean, but Castiel can’t bring himself to care. There’s very little that he cares about while he’s here. All he wants is to go home. But he’s _stuck_ here and now there’s a fang-fin warrior who actually _hates_ him lying just a few tail lengths away. Things have gone from bad to worse and the only way things could reach their _worst_ is if Dean actually got free and tried to kill him again. Frankly, Castiel feels like he’s allowed to be as annoying as he wants to be.

The thing is – Castiel also knows at least a bit of what Dean is going through. He doesn’t have the kin-connection and he’s trapped here, breathing the stale water of the cave. It takes some time to get used to and Castiel almost wants to pity him for it. But everything else that he knows about Dean keeps him from acting on that. It doesn’t help that he still has that suspicion scratching away at the back of his mind that he knows Dean from the battlefield too. And if he does – if Dean is who Castiel thinks he might be – this could cause even bigger problems.

Even though he was expecting it to happen at _some_ point, Castiel is still caught by surprise when he finally feels an insistent poke against the walls around his mind. A part of him relaxes again at the feeling of having another mind touching his own, but he remains on guard nonetheless. There is no doubt in Castiel’s mind that Lilith’s warning fully meant that she would attack the mind of any bright-fin who tried to make the kin-connection with her. If Dean is such a loyal follower of the Council, it’s possible he could very well carry out that promise.

Castiel suspects that this is just another attempt to get him to stop singing. Out of pure spite, he continues his song and stays resolute against accepting the kin-connection. He half expects Dean to stop trying after a while. Unsurprisingly, Dean is very persistent. No matter how many walls Castiel puts around his thoughts, the touch continues. Maybe he’s taking the same kind of comfort from it as Castiel is. It would be better if they had a full link, but this at least reminds them that they’re not actually alone.

How long should he hold out, though? Should he keep Dean out of his mind until the others return or should he actually make the kin-connection with him? How would Sam feel if Castiel spoke to him first? What matters here now is if Castiel’s curiosity outweighs his fear of the consequences of what _might_ happen if he accepts the link. Unfortunately, his boredom is tipping the odds in his curiosity’s favour. It just takes a little while to reach that point.

Added to that is the fact that Castiel knows _exactly_ what it feels like to be alone without the kin-connection and he’s completely sympathetic to that feeling. He might not like Dean very much for everything that he just tried to do, but the empty feeling without the kin-connection is a feeling he wouldn’t wish on even the worst of his enemies. Besides, Castiel might be angry with Dean and the rest of the fang-fin, but he can’t bring himself to be _that_ mean.

Being here is a blessing and a curse. Of course the worst part of being here is that he’s separated from his family and friends, and that he spends a lot of his time without the kin-connection. It’s terrible and he hates every moment of _that_. But there is a bright lining to this terrible time. Because he’s _here_ , Castiel doesn’t have to go to battle anymore. He’s still a part of the war and he obviously can’t escape the responsibilities he has, but he doesn’t have to _fight_.

While he’s here, Castiel can do what he does best. He _thinks_. His mind is one of his strongest qualities and he uses it often while he’s here. The fang-fin might not realize it, but for every moment that he’s in their presence, he’s gathering information about them and their colony. He has no intentions of using it _against_ them. Quite the opposite, actually. Castiel has been using everything he learns to _help_ them. It hasn’t been much more than ideas on how to spread the truth through the fang-fin colony and end this war, but at least it’s something.

He’s looking forward to the time when he’ll be able to return home and inform his own Council of the lies the fang-fin colony has been fed.

Water rushes through Dean’s gills in a sigh and he rests his head against the ground again the moment Castiel accepts the kin-connection with him. His song comes to a stop as he watches Dean closely. Castiel can actually _see_ Dean relax slightly and he understands why – probably better than most. There has been nothing more uncomfortable in this last rotation than sitting here without the kin-connection. Even though he’s cotton used to it, he still doesn’t like it. Making the link with Dean now calms a part of him he’s been ignoring since the rebels left.

Even though they’re connected now, Castiel refuses to share anything more than that. His emotions and his thoughts stay carefully sealed behind his walls. Unsurprisingly, Dean is the same. And yet again it comes down to the waiting game. Who will crack first? Castiel has always been a very patient fin-kin, but his curiosity has often been his undoing. It doesn’t help that he is torn on this regard. Part of him wants to actually _help_ and educate Dean about the truth behind this war. But another part of him wants to exact some bitter, childish revenge.

That’s it. He’s being a _child_ about this. As bad as his own situation is, Dean is lying there feeling more alone than he possibly could even without the kin-connection. Castiel was never _betrayed_ by everyone he cares about – even if the betrayal isn’t exactly as Dean thinks it is. Where Dean is now, not just physically, is a terrifying place and Castiel doesn’t envy him for it. He should be the bigger fin-kin here, figuratively speaking, and go the distance to make Dean see that the bright-fin aren’t everything that he’s been led to believe they are.

Now if only doing that didn’t feel like a blow to his pride.

It takes Castiel a while to reach the point where he can bring himself to try and make contact with Dean. Most of that time is spent thinking of _what_ he would first say. By the time he’s ready and stretching his touch through the kin-connection, he knows exactly what he’s going to do. With a certain measure of caution, Castiel gently drifts his touch against the walls around Dean’s mind. He doesn’t expect Dean to accept it this time – but maybe the next, or the next after that. It all depends on when the rebels come back and what they’re going to do with Dean then.

He’s caught off guard when he feels a curious touch reach over the walls of Dean’s mind and returns the touch. Castiel withdraws in surprise and takes a deep breath to steady himself. Okay. He can do this. He spoke with Sam and the rest of the rebels and he can do this too. Not that he actually plans to do much _talking_. Castiel takes a deep breath and seals his gills to hold it. He lets the walls around his mind crack to allow a fraction of one of his emotions slip through.

This frustration – this pulsing _anger_ – has been stewing in him for the last season. It stems from too many things to name, but all of it is because of this war; because of the lives lost and the lies told. He just wants it all to _end_ and it even though he’s learned so much during this past rotation, he feels like it will never stop. The fang-fin Council will have their bloody war and one or both colonies will be wiped out in the end.

Castiel only gives Dean a taste of that feeling before he replaces it with another. This one is worse. _This_ emotion is a constant ache in Castiel’s chest and it has haunted him every day for the last several days. It’s his grief – the pain that he feels with every passing moment knowing that his family thinks he’s dead. Now Dean is feeling a small piece of his sadness and Castiel can only wonder if he understands _why_ he’s feeling like this. Does he understand the longing for his siblings that Castiel has twisted into every strand of that despair?

Even with the walls around his mind, Dean’s surprise manages to escape them. He wasn’t expecting this and Castiel can only hope that he doesn’t consider this to be an attack. Castiel is only trying to make Dean understand a little bit about _him_.

As expected, Dean withdraws behind the walls almost immediately. It must be more than he can take right now and Castiel isn’t surprised. But he still hopes. He hopes beyond hope that this is the very breakthrough that he needs to help teach Dean that the bright-fin aren’t his enemies here. Castiel watches him closely, waiting to see what happens now. It’s almost disappointing when all Dean does is look away. He had been hoping for something a little more – well, he’s not sure _what_. Exciting, maybe? But nothing happens. Absolutely nothing.

Dean makes no attempt to touch Castiel’s mind through the kin-connection again after that. Castiel waits for longer than he should before he resigns himself to boredom yet again. Whatever Dean is thinking, he’s not sharing it and he’s not making the effort to speak to him yet. It was Castiel’s singing that made him do it in the first place. Would another song be enough to annoy him in to say something? Perhaps. There’s only one way to find out.

He starts with the song of mourning yet again. It’s sad and haunting, but it might just do the trick. And Castiel has quite a lot to mourn. There is no doubt in his mind that in his absence even _more_ members of his colony have died. Castiel prays to Mother-sea, hoping beyond all measure of home that nothing has happened to any of his siblings while he’s been supposedly dead. When he returns – and he _swears_ that he will get home one day – he wants to see all their faces again.

Movement catches his attention and Castiel almost misses a note in his song because of it. He watches closely as Dean squirms slightly, shifting his position as if he’s trying to get a better view of Castiel. Instead of making another attempt to get him to stop singing, Dean lies there in silence, watching him. A chill runs through him when he notices that Dean is looking at _all_ of him, eyes roaming over the fading bruises scattered on Castiel’s skin.

Is he looking at them out of boredom? Curiosity? Or is he taking stock of Castiel’s wounds so he can gauge how well an attack would go? That’s an interesting notion, considering how Dean is still bound and seems completely incapable of actually carrying an attack out right now. The best he could do is bite and that’s easy enough to avoid while Castiel is far more mobile than him. He lets that thought amuse him for a short while before he lapses back into boredom.

Dean isn’t rising to the bait of the song. Which leaves Castiel little other choice. It looks like _he_ needs to make the first move again. Lovely. That sounds like _so much fun_. But really, if he wants anything to actually happen, he might as well be the one to do it. His gills flutter with a sigh as he reaches out to Dean again, brushing his mental touch against the walls of his mind. Hopefully Dean will be more open to communication now than he was before.

Castiel actually gets a sliver of delight when he feels a cautious touch in response. It took a while to get it, but it’s there. Just in case, Castiel keeps all of his emotions free from the kin-connection. What he did before is more than enough for Dean right now. He might as well keep the rest of it from him for the time being. If Castiel feels the need for it, he’ll lower the barriers are those again to add weight to everything he has to explain to Dean now.

But first – there are suspicions that need to be laid to rest. Before Castiel can continue any further, he needs to know if Dean is who he thinks he might be – who he _hopes_ he won’t be. Castiel doesn’t waste time with thinking about what he’ll do if Dean _is_ Green-eyes; the fang-fin with the worst reputation on the battlefield. If he was, it certainly would explain why Dean hates him even though they’ve never officially met. Green-eyes’s reputation is that he never lets anyone escape him during a fight, but Castiel has rescued several bright-fin from him since the rescue teams were established.

It’s time to find out and there is no beating around the kelp bed here. Castiel takes the direct approach with his inquiry. _(Are you Green-eyes?)_ He allows his curiosity to brush against Dean’s mind, but leaves it only at that.

The only answer Castiel gets is a sharp confusion and a frown that twists Dean’s lips down. _(How the fuck would I know?)_

That’s not of any surprise to him. The fang-fin don’t have a glow. They live their lives in the dark, relying on their other senses and their echoes to see everything. Dean has likely never had a fang-fin actually _see_ the colour of his eyes. The bright-fin on the battlefield only know the colour of those green eyes because they’ve seen them up close and personal in the moments when they thought they would die. But Castiel isn’t close enough to be able to accurately tell what colour Dean’s eyes are.

With a sigh, he uncurls his tail and stretches it across the floor. The adipose of his fins itches where it’s still healing, but he ignores it as he twists onto his belly. Without moving his end-fans or his adipose fins, he uses his hands to pulls himself across the floor. As soon as it becomes apparent that Castiel is moving _towards_ him, Dean’s lips draw back to bare his fangs with a rumbling growl. He squints as Castiel brightens his glow and leans in, trying to see the colour of his eyes.

As soon as Castiel is close enough, a cold chill races down his spine. Immediately he is reminded of the time when he was face to face with Green-eyes after saving Samandriel. He _knows_ Dean’s face, and once his black pupils have narrowed, Castiel can confirm that his eyes are absolutely a green. It’s a dazzling colour that he has never seen on a fin-kin before, but those are _definitely_ the same green eyes others have shared in the flashes of their battle memories.

There is no longer any doubt in Castiel’s mind now. Dean is Green-eyes and Green-eyes is Sam’s brother. And now that he knows for certain, Castiel’s reaction to it is swift and it burns in his chest. He withdraws with a snarl and returns to his corner of the cave as quickly as he can. _(It’s **you**.)_

Dean’s confusion only grows stronger and more defensive. _(Me?)_

 _(You’re **Green-eyes**.)_ Castiel draws his tail to his chest and hisses unhappily. No wonder Sam said his brother was losing himself. Dean is a _monster_ on the battlefield and everyone knows it. How many of his kin has he lost to the hands of this – this – The turmoil in his chest is distracting and Castiel can’t think of a proper word to use.

 _(And you’re Swirly-blue.)_ He says simply, his frown getting deeper. _(What’s your point?)_

A word surfaces in Castiel’s mind and he spits it into the kin-connection, wrapping it in his anger and venom and sadness. _( **Murderer**.)_

Unexpectedly, Dean flinches at the accusation. His eyes break away from Castiel’s and he curls up slightly. A dark hatred fills the kin-connection, smothering anything that Castiel is allowing into it. What surprise Castiel about that is how the seething mass of anger isn’t directed at him. Dean is aiming it straight at himself. After a moment, he struggles over onto his other side.

With no idea of what else to do, Castiel throws the walls up around his mind again. He leaves the kin-connection intact, but blocks Dean completely. This is the killer that Castiel has absolutely lost friends to and a lump has risen in his throat. He swallows around it and looks away to glare at a wall. Even though he knows that Dean has been tricked by the Council and he’s just a victim of their lies, but he can’t let go of this anger. At least not yet. Castiel is _entitled_ to it on behalf of everyone he once knew who have been killed by Dean.

The only time he looks to Dean again is when he hears him shuffling around a while later. Castiel’s lip curls when he finds Dean looking at him again. Nothing is given away by the expression on his face, but there’s another cautious touch to the side walls of his mind. He ignores it and turns away from Dean again, grabbing at the bag of fish Bobby left for him. His stomach is a twisting riot and he couldn’t possibly eat anything right now, but he needs something to distract him.

He moves the bag out of the way and gathers up all the cleaned bones of the fish he’s eaten previously. Castiel calms and entertains himself by using the many bones to make designs on the floor. But doing this doesn’t stop his mind from churning over and over itself. It’s just as hard to forgive Dean as it is to forgive Sam and the other rebels. They’ve _all_ killed bright-fin. And Castiel has killed a fang-fin too. He doesn’t expect them to forgive him when he can’t even forgive _himself_ for what he’s done.

This war has made everyone do some truly horrible things. And as much as Castiel understands that, forgiveness does not come easily. Not for him and not for them. Not for anyone in this war. He tries his best to ignore those thoughts. Forgiveness or not, he still needs to talk to Dean. He still needs to put aside their differences long enough to make sure that Dean doesn’t hurt another bright-fin ever again.

It’s that realization that has his fins flex in annoyance before he swipes his hand through the fishbone designs. With a sigh, he turns back to look at Dean. A part of him still wants to be angry and shut him out, but Castiel knows he can’t do that. He needs to be the metaphorically bigger fin-kin here and do what is _right_ instead of holding grudges. Castiel has been here for a full rotation and he’ll likely be here even longer. If he had shut out Sam and the others when he was angry after waking up here, he wouldn’t know everything that he does now. And he absolutely wouldn’t be helping the rebels plan a revolution against their Council.

Quite a bit has been learned since he came here and talking only made it easier for him – for everyone. Castiel wants to make it out of here some day and to do that he’s going to need to keep a calm and level him. Even if he can’t _forgive_ , he can at least try and temporarily forget. Besides, it would be a lie if Castiel said that he wasn’t at least _slightly_ curious about why Dean had such a deep seated hatred for himself – and one that he didn’t bother hiding from the kin-connection.

This will be difficult, but Castiel needs to keep reminding himself that Dean didn’t know any better at the time. He was doing what he was told, even though it was wrong, just like Castiel would have done if Michael had given him the order to do it. They’re both just soldiers fighting on opposite sides of a war that was a lie right from the start. And it would be absolutely terrible if Castiel wasted the chance to educate another warrior because he can’t put aside the past.

With a sigh, he steels himself for every direction this conversation could take. Castiel lowers the walls around his thoughts slowly and reaches over them to carefully brush against the probing touch of Dean’s mind. Hopefully this will go better than the first time.

 _(Who are you?)_ There is no hint of Dean’s self-loathing in the kin-connection this time. All that Castiel can feel is a mild curiosity. _(Your real name. Not Swirly-blue.)_

Should he tell him? Of course he should. It would be rude if he didn’t since he told the other rebels his name anyways. _(Castiel.)_

_(I’m Dean.)_

_(I know.)_ Castiel shrugs and glances away. _(Sam has spoken very highly of his big brother – despite your refusal to listen to him about basically anything of importance.)_

That self-hatred flashes through the kin-connection briefly, wrapped in a thick guilt. It’s only for a moment before his emotions dry up and vanish from the link. Dean looks away for a moment before he huffs water through his gills heavily and looks back. _(Why are you here?)_

 _(You should be asking yourself why you’re murdering my people instead.)_ The thought slips out before Castiel can stop it. He winces and looks back to Dean. That wasn’t meant to be shared.

As expected, Dean flinches and his frown turns into a snarl. _(Murder? You damn **bright-fin** are the ones who started this.)_ Though the thoughts come through the kin-connection sharply, there’s conviction missing from it. He’s not confident about what he’s saying anymore. There are _doubts_ and that gives Castiel hope. _(We just wanted somewhere to call our own and **you** declared war first!)_

This is almost enough to make Castiel laugh. Does Dean really believe that? The other rebels already had their suspicions and Castiel only had to confirm them. Dean, on the other hand, seems like he’s trying to cling that that truth – even though it’s a lie.

Castiel shakes his head and unfolds his tail. _(You weren’t one of the fang-fin present at the meeting between our Councils, were you?)_

 _(No. I wasn’t allowed to go.)_ Dean’s snarl drops back into a frown and a nervous edge traces his thoughts. _(I wasn’t high ranking enough for that yet.)_

 _(Then you only have the word of your leaders to go by.)_ It’s not a question. This is fact. _(Were they the same ones who told you about what happened?)_ Castiel shares the images of Lilith, Alistair, and Abaddon as he remembers them. _(Were they the ones who told you about what was discussed?)_

He shakes his head slowly, eyes wide in the light of Castiel’s glow. _(No.)_ Another image of a different fang-fin floats through the kin-connection. Castiel only recognizes him from his conversations with the rebels. _(Crowley told us and only the Council was allowed to talk to the bright-fins.)_

_(Well, Crowley wasn’t there.)_

Dean shifts uncomfortably, like he can’t hold still. If he wasn’t bound right now, Castiel could easily see him as being one who would swim circles when he’s agitated. _(How would **you** know? Crowley left with them and he told us. Why should I believe **you**?)_

 _(Because I **was** there.) _Castiel shrugs. His simple answer is enough to stop all of Dean’s fidgeting. _(My Council shared everything with us. Our entire colony knows **exactly** what was said.)_

As soon as he’s said that, Dean starts struggling against the metal rope harder than he did before. _(Don’t.)_ He shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut. _(Fucking **don’t**.) _ His thoughts are a desperate and angry mess for that short moment before Dean retreats completely behind his walls. His struggling ends with Dean turning over onto his other side.

A slightly vindictive side to Castiel is pleased about this. The rest of him doesn’t feel all that happy about having to break the news to Dean like this. Obviously he’s clearly troubled by it and if Castiel tries to push any harder about it, he might be doing more bad than good. Any more pushing might only make Dean stubbornly refuse to listen. Castiel understands that and he has to force himself not to pull at Dean’s mind right now.

No one likes to be learn that they’ve been lied to. They don’t like to be told that _everything_ they’ve done up until this point has been wrong – that _they_ have been wrong. Now he just needs to sit back and wait for Dean to come back to him. And he needs to try really hard not to be _too_ smug about this. Even though it’s extremely amusing to have the illustrious _Green-eyes_ tied up and upset in front of him.

Castiel turns his thoughts away from all of this. It seems Dean is set to stew in his thoughts for a while now and that gives him plenty of time to sing again. He isn’t expecting to be wrong about that. It’s barely even halfway into the song before Dean is wiggling back onto his stomach and side to face Castiel again. That can’t be very comfortable, but Dean keeps doing it over and over again, so it can’t be _that_ bad. Or it might and Dean is just stubborn enough to care. Castiel doesn’t know, but he stops singing when he feels Dean’s touch against his walls again.

 _(You were there?)_ He asks softly, like he’s afraid of the answer he’s going to get. Castiel nods and Dean visibly swallows before he continues. _(Do you have the memories of it?)_

Progress! This might actually be a success. _(Would you like to see them?)_

Dean’s face hardens into a cold stare. _(I need to know.)_

The only thing that makes Castiel hesitate before sharing them is that perhaps Sam doesn’t want this to happen yet. All the rebels left so they could talk about what they were going to do with Dean. Would Castiel be upsetting their plans by sharing these memories with him? Despite his earlier stubbornness, they didn’t leave anyone here to even _try_ discussing things with Dean.

Well, this is their loss, then. They had their chances and it’s not like Castiel has anything better to do right now. It’s best that he, as a bright-fin, be the one to educate one of the most brutal fang-fin he’s ever known on the battlefield. If they don’t like it, then too bad for them. As soon as that decision is made, Castiel opens the walls around his mind long enough to flood the kin-connection with all his memories of the meeting between the Councils.

Dean is quiet the entire time the memory is shared. He keeps his eyes closed so he can focus on the images and the voices that play out through their strained link. Without really thinking about it, Castiel includes in the memory all his joy at having the fang-fin there and potentially learning about a whole new breed of fin-kin. He hasn’t shared this with Sam or the other rebels this information yet, but he lets Dean have all of it. Maybe it will add more of an impact to the memories, maybe it won’t. It might be considered insult to injury, but he doesn’t care about it too much.

The entire memory, from start to finish, rings with truth. Nothing about it has been fabricated and there is no lie to them. Castiel knows it and Dean knows it. He also knows that as soon as the memories come to an end, Dean is not going to have a favourable reaction. At best, he’ll shut Castiel out. At worst, there is going to be a _lot_ of anger happening again. Castiel knows which one he’s hoping for.

Thankfully, all Dean does is retreat behind his walls again. His expression never changes and he stays on his side, staring at the wall instead of at Castiel. Whatever he’s going through, he needs to do it alone now. There’s nothing else that Castiel can do to help him – and he doesn’t exactly _want_ to help him. He has no remorse for opening Dean’s eyes to the truth, but he does feel slightly sorry for him. Dean has been the Council’s puppet and that’s just horrible, no matter who it is.

After sharing that, Castiel can’t bring himself to sing again. The water around them feels heavy and all he can do is sit and wait, watching Dean for something – for anything. He’s not sure what will happen, but he hopes only good things will follow. Even if he never forgives Dean for what he’s done during the war, at the very least Castiel can help stop him from doing _more_. Hopefully. Really, that’s all Castiel wants out of this. He doesn’t even want to try and get any form of revenge. He doesn’t have the energy for it and revenge only begets revenge. If he wants this war to end, he can’t keep up the vicious cycle of hate.

 _(You’ve already told this to Sam and the others, haven’t you?)_ Dean catches Castiel by surprise when he presses the thought into the kin-connection. _(They know all about the meeting?)_

_(Yes.)_

Anger starts bubbling over Dean’s walls and the metal rope creaks as he hunches his shoulders. _(Alistair, Lilith, and Abaddon. They were the ones at the meeting. Crowley left with them and he wasn’t there.)_ He’s thinking aloud and Castiel lets him. Maybe he’ll have some kind of insight that they haven’t yet. _(But Crowley was the one who told us and fucking **no one** questioned it.)_

 _(That’s not true. Sam and your friends questioned it.)_ Castiel shifts his position to lay on his stomach with his chin propped up on his arms. _(It’s possible that Crowley was lied to as well. If he accepted what they told him as truth, he could have easily told it to the rest of the colony without lying. Then the rest of the Council could have informed him of what **really** happened afterwards.)_

Dean rumbles a laugh and shakes his head. _(Didn’t the others tell you? He wouldn’t have questioned them if they were lying or not because he wouldn’t have known. Fang-fin are inherently defensive and the Council is the worst of us. It would be completely normal for the four of them to talk to each other with all barriers in place.)_

Castiel frowns and tilts his head. _(What do you mean by ‘defensive’?)_ He doesn’t understand it. To his understanding, they’re obviously very careful with the things that they share, but he’s also an enemy bright-fin so it all makes sense to him in that regard.

 _(We always keep ourselves mostly closed off from basically everyone.)_ Dean shrugs one shoulder and his gills flutter in a nervous gesture. _(Friends and family are more open to each other, but with anyone else we rarely share everything.)_

That’s almost too much for Castiel to comprehend. He pushes himself up onto his elbows and lets his surprise fill the kin-connection. _(You mean that you’re not always completely open to everyone in your colony?)_ He only keeps his most private of thoughts hidden when his mind is a part of the general murmur of the colony. Anyone who brushes his mind would know what he’s feeling or doing at any given moment unless he was purposefully hiding it for a specific reason.

The fact that he’s surprised by this seems to shock Dean too and he lifts his head to stare at Castiel. _(That’s suicide. You could share weaknesses without realizing it. The more you hide, the better.)_

His pity for the fang-fin grows and Castiel shakes his head sadly. _(What a lonely way to live.)_

His comment earns him a flat stare before the walls in the kin-connection separate them again. Perhaps he takes Castiel’s comment as an insult? It wasn’t his intention, but he could see how it might be seen as such. And now he doesn’t even have the chance to apologize since Dean has blocked him out for the time being. Lovely. And things had been going so well so far – more or less.

With a sigh, Castiel pulls his pile of fish bones closer. He might as well entertain himself with these until Dean has stopped sulking. Yet he can’t help but wonder if he’s done good or bad with sharing all this information with Dean. He supposes that he’ll just have to wait and see. **  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bobby is the one who interrupts the moment by looking at Cas, his curiosity pulsing through everything else. _(What did you tell him while we were gone?)_
> 
>  _(The truth.)_ Cas says it so simply even though it’s the exact opposite of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)
> 
>  
> 
> **Unedited. Read at your own risk.**

Normally the truth is a good thing. Normally Dean loves hearing it. This, however, has been the worst moments of his life. It’s right up there with his parents dying. Dean hates it. Swirly-blue – no, _Castiel_ – was telling the _truth_ and he doesn’t want to fucking believe it. Castiel didn’t make anything up. There was no _lie_ and Dean knows that it’s really damn hard to lie. He’s tried and it’s never worked. Not once. And that makes it all the more impressive that the all four Council members managed to do it to the whole fucking colony.

But that’s not Dean’s major concern right now. The biggest problem is the mere fact that they did it in the first place. _That’s_ what’s pissing Dean off the most. He can’t handle being lied to and it’s his fucking _Council_ that did it. They’re the ones that he’s supposed to trust more than anyone and now he can’t. Mother-sea, save them all, the Council lied to everyone. To the colony. To _him_.

If Dean wasn’t tied up right now, he’d be _killing_ something. And the scariest thing about that particular itch is that Castiel – Cas – Swirly-blue who’s been a pain in his tail for dozens upon dozens of days – is _not_ the one he wants to kill. There are four other very deserving fin-kin who have deceived him for the last season that deserve his claws way more than the bright-fin watching him from the cave wall. Cas is lucky he told the truth. Otherwise Dean would be raring to rip him apart still.

Besides the whole being lied to thing, Dean is pretty annoyed that he literally can’t do anything else right now besides thinking. And he fucking _hates_ thinking. It means he can’t do anything else but consider actually trying to accept the truth. But that’s so damn _hard_. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s been wrong about everything for the last season. Everything that he’s done has been in the name of a _lie_  and it’s eating him up from the inside out.

It’s actually his saving grace when another mind that _isn’t_ Cas’s brushes against his own. Sam’s familiar touch makes Dean sigh in relief and he twists to look toward the mouth of the cave. He lets the kin-connection slide into place and it’s a glorious burst of thought and feelings and everything Dean associates to home. Two other minds follow along with him and Dean recognizes Bobby’s touch and Ellen’s before the links have even fallen into place with them.

 _(What took you so long?)_ He tries not to sound too upset, but he’s pretty annoyed that he’s been left here in the first place.

 _(We had to gather our group and talk to them about this. It took a while to find everyone.)_ Sam sounds bored and it makes Dean frown at him when he comes into view. _(Don’t look at me like that. You shouldn’t have stalked Bobby if you didn’t want to deal with the consequences.)_

To everyone’s surprise, and Dean’s annoyance, Cas actually snorts. Did he just _laugh_ at them? At _Dean_? Seriously? He’s got half a mind to give him shit for that, but Sam hushes him before he can. His thoughts take a private turn as he wraps them around Dean’s mind. They’re the only ones listening to them and it always makes Dean feel special.

 _(Don’t let it bother you. He doesn’t have anything else to amuse him here.)_ Sam shrugs at him with a forced smile. _(Let him have it where he can get it, y’know?)_

Dean rolls his eyes and huffs at him. _(Fine. Whatever. Untie me.)_

He doesn’t miss the way Sam glances at Bobby and Ellen. _(What?)_

Bobby shrugs and slips past him with another bag of fish in his hand. _(Here, Castiel. Dinner.)_

Cas stares at the bag for a moment before he shakes his head and gestures at the other bag still sitting next to him. _(I still have plenty left from this morning. You can give that bag to Dean.)_ His attention turns and eyes turn to Dean. _(I don’t doubt that you must be hungry by now.)_

Something a lot like guilt twinges in Dean’s chest and he looks away from everyone. Is Cas seriously giving him the only other food that he gets today? Surprise ricochets through Dean’s kin-connection from three different sources and he can only radiate innocence when all three of them turn to look at him. He even raises his eyebrows at them because he has _no_ idea what they’re being all shocked over right now. Is it because Cas is talking to him?

 _(We’ve talked, Sammy.)_ Dean shrugs and pulls at the metal rope. _(It’s no big deal. Now let me go.)_

Bobby slides over to Dean to drop the bag beside him. _(We can’t do that.)_

He narrows his eyes up at him and continues to struggle. Maybe if he looks pitiful enough about it, they’ll give in and get the metal rope off him. _(Let me **go**.) _ All three of them shift uncomfortably and share a few glances. They even glance at Cas and Dean knows what they’re worried about now. _(I’m not going to kill him.)_ Dean is _long_ past wanting to kill him.

That gets another snort out of Cas and Dean glances over just in time to see him roll his eyes. Does he not believe him? Dean had the walls around his mind down just enough that Cas should have been able to feel the truth in that statement. It’s as plain as day. Dean has zero intentions of hurting Cas now or in the near future. He was a pain in his tail once upon a time, but there are other things Dean needs to focus on right now. Other people who deserve a lot worse.

Just to be sure, Dean shares all those thoughts too. Cas stares at him, his flexi-fins flipped out and spread. Is that in surprise or is he being threatening again? It’s hard to tell when Cas is still hiding all his emotions from the kin-connection. Luckily, the others aren’t and they’re all surprised. Well, good. They should be. It’s surprising what half a day and a fist full of the truth will do to someone’s personality.

 _(We’re – I don’t think we’re worried about Cas right now, Dean.)_ Sam shakes his head and looks to Bobby and Ellen for help.

She’s the one who swims forward to rest on her belly so she can look Dean in the eyes at his level. _(I know this is going to be hard for you, but please don’t be angry.)_ Well that just guarantees that he _will_ be angry about this. _(I’m going to break it to you straight. You ready for this?)_

Dean gives her a flat stare. If he gives her any of the sass that he would usually give to Sam, or even Bobby, then Dean better be prepared for getting a slap upside the head – or worse. She might just up and leave and make the other two go with her. So, because it’s the wisest thing for him to do, Dean keeps quiet and waits for her to share whatever it is she has to say.

 _(We can’t let you leave.)_ Ellen shoves the thoughts into the kin-connection and it’s not even the force they’re said with that makes him flinch. _(We’ve been working hard the last several days and all of us are worried that you’re going to ruin everything we’ve been working for if we let you out of here.)_

Even though he rarely uses his throat voice to say anything, Dean opens his mouth. It drops of its own free will and he stares at each of them in turn. They’ve got to be kidding. Does that mean they’re just going to leave him here? He’s going to stay all tied up while Cas is free to move around and do whatever the hell he wants? _Really_? This is fucking ridiculous. They’ve got to be joking here.

 _(I’m not going to do anything.)_ He shakes his head and pulls at the metal rope until it’s digging into his wrists painfully. _(I just want to find out what the hell is going on.)_

Now it’s apparently Bobby’s turn to shake his damn head. _(We can’t let you leave this cave, Dean. Not yet. Not until we’re sure that you’re not going to fuck things up.)_

Mother-sea, help him keep his calm because Dean is _really_ close to losing it right now. They’re not joking and he can’t decide if he feels betrayed again or if he’s just flat out angry that they’re not listening to him? At this point, it could be either of those. Or it could be something else altogether. Dean’s emotions are a great big blurry mass rolling around in his chest and he’s not completely sure of _what_ he’s feeling right now. All he knows is that he wants to do something about it.

Sam puts his hands on Ellen’s shoulder and draws her away so he can take her place. He fidgets by running his hand through his hair before he says anything. _(If we – If I until you, will you stay and listen to what we have to say?)_

He answers automatically. _(Yes.)_ Even Dean winces at that. The lie was so obvious that he didn’t even bother trying to hide it.

 _(You’re lying.)_ Sam sighs and starts to drift back from him. He’s giving up and that makes Dean feel just a little bit desperate. He can’t take being tied up like this anymore.

Dean shakes his head and pulls at Sam’s mind, hoping that’ll make him stop. _(I’m sorry. Yes, I’ll listen, okay? I’ll listen and then I’m going to go after those **bastards** for what they’ve done to all of us.)_

 _(If you do that, you’re going to get us **all** killed.)_ Ellen bares her fangs at him and Dean isn’t surprised. She has both herself and Jo to worry about, and Bobby, to a lesser degree.

But she does have a point and that makes Dean stop. He’s going to have to reconsider his options here. It’s a bit of a sting to his pride to agree that they’re right and he can’t just rush right into things. He has Sammy to think about too. Anything that Dean does is going to put him at risk too. Fuck. That wasn’t something he actually stopped to _think_ about before.

A silent pleading brushes against Dean’s thoughts again and he knows it’s from Sam. He sighs and stops fighting against the metal rope. _(Fine.)_ Dean looks up to meet Sam’s eyes and pours every ounce of his sincerity into the kin-connection. _(If you untie me, then I’ll stay, I’ll listen, and I won’t try to leave.)_

That brings the first real smile to Sam’s lips that Dean has seen in a long time. _(You promise?)_

Dean nods and a part of him almost wants to cry when Sam swims over him to settle behind him and start prying apart the link of the metal rope. Bobby and Ellen watch in silence and Dean can’t tell if it’s because they agree with Sam letting him go or if they’d rather he stay bound. At least they don’t stop Sam as he unwinds the metal rope from around Dean’s arms and his tail and waist. Dean stops caring about what they’re thinking the moment the rope falls away.

Good sweet Mother-sea, he didn’t think it would feel so amazing to be free again. The first thing he does as soon as Sam lets him go is stretch. And it feels _awesome_. Even though it was only for half a day, it actually feels like Dean was stuck like that for days. Everything feels stiff and painful and Dean groans happily as he curves and stretches in every direction. He pushes up from the floor and treads the water with his hands to remain floating and it feels _great_ not to be touching anything else right now.

Dean doesn’t miss how everyone flinches when he actually starts swimming. And it’s _really_ hard to miss how Bobby and Ellen both back away and happen to end up right in front of the entrance to the cave. They don’t trust him and that definitely hurts. Good thing that Dean can finally _move_ to distract himself. He swims in a few circles around a couple of pillars, doing just enough to get his blood flowing in all the right directions again.

When that itch under his skin is finally gone, Dean turns to them and crosses his arms. _(I said that I’m not going anywhere. You can calm down.)_

Bobby shrugs, but he doesn’t move. _(We’re just being careful. You understand why, don’t you?)_

A dark, bitter taste spreads across the back of Dean’s tongue and he nods. _(Of course.)_ He turns away from them to keep swimming. If he stops, he’s a little worried that they might try tying him up again. _(I’m a murderer and a monster. What’s not to be afraid of?)_

Cas’s weird flexible fins spread out suddenly this time his eyes go wide. Dean’s _pretty_ sure that means that he’s surprised, but he’s still not one hundred percent sure about any bright-fin body language. Either way, he would bet that Cas wasn’t prepared for Dean to flat out admit that. Good. It’s in his best interest that he keep Cas on his fins – even though Dean doesn’t actually feel much outright hatred for him anymore. He’s still annoyed with him for various reasons and he doesn’t have to actually _like_ the guy, but there’s really no point in clinging to a grudge that was born out of a misunderstanding and lies.

Sam starts shaking his head right away, like he’s actually going to try and disagree with that point, and he swims forward to stop Dean’s restless swimming. _(Dean, you’re not a –)_

 _(Cut the fishshit, Sam.)_ There’s nothing he can say that’s going to change Dean’s mind on this. He knows exactly what he is and it’s time to change that. _(We all know that what I’ve been doing is wrong. Now it’s time for me to set things right again.)_

Pride floods the kin-connection from all three of them and Dean wants to soak in it forever. They were proud of him for his promotion, but not like this. _This_ is everything that he was working for and he missed it so much.

Bobby is the one who interrupts the moment by looking at Cas, his curiosity pulsing through everything else. _(What did you tell him while we were gone?)_

 _(The truth.)_ Cas says it so simply even though it’s the exact opposite of that.

Dean shrugs when Sam looks at him with one eyebrow raised. _(It’s been an informative day.)_ He brushes the metal rope out of the way and settles on the fold of his tail. _(Now let’s get the rest of this talk over with so I can get a breath of fresh water sooner rather than later.)_

As soon as he’s said that, Cas’s moving fins droop and he looks down at the fish bones in his hands. It takes Dean a moment to realize that he’s _sad_. There’s really no guess work involved in figuring out why. Cas hasn’t been out of this cave in several days. Does he even remember what fresh water tastes like on his tongue and through his gills? Probably not. Dean was only here for half a day and already he’s having trouble remembering it. If _he_ can’t wait to get out of here, then how is Cas not going out of his mind?

This isn’t the first time Dean feels pity for Cas. But it is the first time he accepts it and feels bad about it. Cas wouldn’t be living his life like normal if the fang-fin had never come along. This war wouldn’t have torn apart his colony and his home if it wasn’t for Dean and the Council. There’s a lot Dean has to make up for and to – to Sam, to their friends, and definitely to Cas and the whole of the bright-fin colony. And, maybe, somewhere in there, he might have to make things up to himself too.

It takes a whole heck of a lot of his courage to force himself to reach through the kin-connection to push his regrets against the walls around Cas’s mind. If he could get fresh water for him right now, Dean would absolutely try. He owes Cas that much at least. It’s just a little apology, but he hopes that Cas might be willing to forgive him even just a little bit. He’s not very high on the list of people Dean has things to make up to, but he’s on there and Dean will at least _try_. That just might take a little while.

His apology makes Cas’s fins flex out again and it only makes Dean wonder if they ever get tired of _moving_ so much of their body. Even those ruffled fins along the sides of his tail move every so often. They ripple in a kind of hypnotic way before going still again. Cas is staring at him again. It’s getting to be like some kind of pastime for him and Dean stares right back until he feels a hesitant acceptance through the kin-connection. There’s a little bit of appreciation swirling through it and Dean would smile if he felt capable of it right now.

Sam glances between him and Cas with a confused frown on his face. Has he been caught off guard by the fact that Dean is actually _apologizing_ to someone – to a bright-fin? Good. He should be. Dean feels like a very different fin-kin than the one who same through that cave opening this morning. His whole world has been flipped upside down and the entire ocean has been drained out from under him. At this point, he might as well be living above the waves for how out of place he feels right now.

Practically everything that Dean knew was a lie. It would have been so fucking _obvious_ if he had just stopped and listened to the fin-kin he cares about. But no, he was just too fucking stubborn to actually _see_ it. He had nothing but tunnel vision going on it and it was all focused on the one goal that doesn’t feel like it really matters anymore. Dean should have just stopped and listened to his brilliant big-little brother from the very beginning the moment something started smelling fishy about this war.

Status doesn’t count for shit when your colony is corrupt at its very core.  


Castiel is a big enough fin-kin that he can admit when he’s impressed – even when he’s impressed by the rapid change in someone’s personality. Or rather, maybe _this_ is the real Dean and the vicious Green-eyes that Castiel has come to know is just who this war made Dean into. It’s hard to accept that in the span of such a short amount of time, Dean has already changed his opinions on quite a few things.

Is it really possible for him to already be on their side in this whole mess of a war? Has he stopped and thought about anything other than the fact that he’s been lied to and now he wants revenge for it? There are plenty of questions, but Castiel doesn’t want to ask them. Not now, at least. Dean’s friends are talking to him now and it would be best if they weren’t interrupted. The topic is a rather important one, after all.

He listens quietly as Sam, Bobby, and Ellen all explain to him about what they’ve been finding out for themselves over the last rotation. It’s not much more than what Castiel shared with Dean earlier, but he still listens. If something new _is_ said, then he wants to know about it. And it’s not like he really has anything better to be doing at the moment anyways. At least there is some amusement – and not a small bit of satisfaction – to be gotten out of seeing the rage build in Dean with every new fact that he’s told by fin-kin that he actually trusts.

Anger is a good response to his situation. If Dean _wasn’t_ upset by this, then things would be very concerning indeed. Castiel is thankful that Dean isn’t every bit the monster that he originally thought he was. He’s still a murderer and that blood will never be washed from his hands, but the more fang-fin they have on their side, the better. Dean will never be able to change what he’s done, but he can certainly make a difference with that he will _do_.

Once everything that can be said has been said, Dean doesn’t stay quiet for long. _(How many of us know about this?)_

Castiel doesn’t know most of the faces of the fang-fin that flash through the kin-connection. He only knows a handful of them at best, but he’s pleased to see that their cause has more than just the few rebels that he knows.

Bobby shrugs and scratches at his beard after he’s shared them. _(It’s not much, but they’re the ones who know the truth now. Since we went and told them and all.)_

There’s something about his thoughts in the kin-connection that leaves Castiel with the distinct feeling that he isn’t sharing everything there is to know. Of course _he_ already knows it. Dean, on the other hand, does not. _(What aren’t you telling me?)_

 _(Nothing good.)_ Ellen sighs and she puts a hand on Bobby’s shoulder. They share a short look before she continues in his stead. _(We’re pretty damn certain that everyone who was at the meeting of the Councils knows what was really going down. It means we have to be **extra** careful of who we try to tell the truth to. There are colony kin out there who know the truth already and they don’t care about it.)_

Dean groans and runs both of his hands through his hair. He pushes away from the ground to start swimming in his looping circles again. _(And are we positive that Crowley knows what’s going on too? He couldn’t have lied to us like that if he was.)_

 _(We’re certain of it.)_ Sam nods and the kin-connection is full of his surety. _(The whole Council is in on it. And as far as we can tell, they instigated this whole damn war for **fun**.)_

Castiel’s stomach turns at being reminded about that particular fact. He hates it and he closes his eyes to center himself before his own anger takes over. At first he thinks it’s not working as there is most definitely a burning rage bubbling in his mind – and then he realizes that it’s not his. Dean is _furious_ and it shows in the jerking motions of his swimming.

_(Those bastards **wanted** this war.)_

Ellen’s grip on Bobby’s shoulder tightens and her thoughts slice through the kin-connection with all the righteous rage of one who has been wronged. _(Of course they did. Because we can’t forget the Council’s creed, can we?)_

Dean stops swimming, but his glare is turned on the wall. His hands are trembling fists at his sides. _(Survival of the fittest.)_

 _(Exactly.)_ She nods and bares her teeth in an angry snarl. It’s enough to _almost_ strike a chord of fear within Castiel – if he wasn’t already used to it, and if the rebels actually scared him anymore. _(They want to eradicate anything in this ocean they see as **weak**.)_

 _(Apparently it’s a crime to have beautiful songs, a bright glow, and being smaller than us.)_ Water rushes through Dean’s gills in a loud sigh as he turns to look at Cas. _(Kinda sucks that you bright-fin fit that criteria perfectly, huh?)_

Is he trying to make a joke? If he is, then Dean is failing horribly at it. Castiel’s upper lip twitches back in his own displeased snarl. _(We’ve been at war for a whole season. Have we not made it obvious by now that we are anything **but** weak?)_

 _(As if that’s actually going to stop them.)_ Even Sam’s anger is building in the kin-connection. _(They want a bloody end for your colony and they’re going to keep pushing everyone until they have it.)_

 _(Why?)_ Castiel doesn’t know why he bothers asking it. He already knows the answer and it sickens him from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. But Dean needs to know. He needs to understand just how _horrible_ his Council truly is.

Dean comes to the answer on his own. His fists are curled so tightly that Castiel can actually smell blood on the water from where his claws are cutting into his palms. _(Because they **can**.)_ In a sudden blur of movement, he twists and slams his fist into the nearest stone column. _(They lied because they can. They’ve done this because there’s no one to stop them. They lied to everyone and they lied to **me** for a whole fucking **season**.)_

In a turn that catches Castiel by surprise, Sam’s anger quickly fades into worry and he approaches his brother carefully. It’s almost as if he’s almost afraid of him in that moment. _(It’s not your fault, Dean.)_

 _(Don’t.)_ A warning look makes Sam jerk back out of reach. _(It **is** my fault, Sammy. I knew things weren’t right and I didn’t listen to you. I didn’t listen to anyone.)_ The walls around Dean’s mind fall and the full force of his regret floods the kin-connection. Dean’s guilt threatens to drown Castiel in it before he retreats almost completely behind his own walls.

 _(I thought I was doing this for you and me, but it was really all for **them**.) _ It’s more than just Dean’s hands that are shaking. His thoughts are trembling too. _(All that shitty praise, the promotions – it’s nothing. It wasn’t worth **shit**.) _ He starts swimming again, but this time his tail moves in wide arcs that slaps his end-fin against the stone columns. _(I let them make me into everything I never wanted to be.)_

Curiosity is getting the best of him and Castiel reaches out past the walls just to see what Dean is feeling. He regrets the action immediately. There’s a pain in the kin-connection so intense that it makes Castiel’s fans ripple and his chest ache. He withdraws again as Dean turns abruptly to Sam. The same pain is etched across his face, each line filled with regret.

 _(I love fighting, Sammy, but not like this– never like **this**.)_ Dean’s thoughts break when Sam swims forward without warning to wrap him in a tight hug and he clings to him with the same desperation as a fin-kin being swept into an eddy.

Castiel’s attempt to continue to hold his cold demeanor nearly fails in that moment. Seeing the bond between siblings makes him ache for his own brothers and sister. He can only hope that it won’t be _too long_ before he gets to see them again. It’s only been a rotation but it feels like so much longer. But at least he’s alive. As long as he’s alright, then he’ll be able to see them again someday. And hopefully that someday will come sooner rather than later.

When Dean pulls away from his hug with Sam, his expression has hardened into one of sheer determination. _(Let’s go tear down the Council right the fuck now.)_

 _(That would be suicide.)_ He interjects, drawing their attention to him. Castiel may not like Dean and Dean might not like him, but that doesn’t mean he wants to see him ruin all the hard work of the rest of the rebels.

 _(It wouldn’t be.)_ Dean turns towards him and swims forward a short distance. _(If all of us grouped together, we could rip them apart.)_

Even though Castiel doesn’t have the best understanding of the numbers of the fang-fin colony, he can still see how truly terrible of a plan that is. _(If you’d like to get everyone you know killed, by all means, take that course of action. Just take into account that you **will** lose at least some of those you care for.)_

 _(Castiel’s right, Dean.)_ Bobby slides across the cave to cut between them before Dean can spit back a response. _(We ain’t got more than a few dozen to our numbers. The Council has the rest of the whole damn colony on their side. There’s no winning this for us right now.)_

 _(But we could **try**.)_ Dean shakes his head and Castiel tell that he’s fighting the urge to start swimming around them again. _(We could –)_

Ellen gets close enough to wrap her arms around Dean in a gentle hug. _(I know you’re angry. We’re **all** angry, but we also need to be careful about this. We can’t just **act**.)_

For a moment, Dean actually leans into the hug and closes his eyes. _(I know.)_ In that instant, he looks far more tired than Castiel would expect for this time of day, let alone for someone Dean’s age. This war is taking its toll on everyone.

While Dean isn’t looking, Bobby and Sam share another look. Castiel doesn’t need to be included in their private conversation to know that they’re having one. And the only reason that it would be private right now is to hide it from Dean. He can’t help but wonder what bad news they’ll be breaking to him next. If this wasn’t such a somber topic, Castiel might actually be amused by the drama being played out in his temporary prison.

Sam is the one who edges forward. He reaches out and touches the point of one of Dean’s arm-fins. _(If you understand why we can’t do anything right now, then you understand why we can’t let you leave here just yet, right?)_

Castiel almost winces. He’s always been rather blunt himself, but could they not have found a better way to break that to Dean? Or, better yet, not at all? As much as Castiel hates being alone here, he would prefer not being left with Green-eyes if the choice were given. Of course he doubts that there will be any choice offered to him in this matter. But it really isn’t the best of decisions.

Dean’s eyes have been opened to the truth now, but if his own family can’t even trust him enough to let him out of this cave, how can they trust him to not make an attempt to attack Castiel? The most they seem to trust right now is his word that he’s ready to help them – and Castiel does believe that too. Somewhat. It’s hard to accept that someone can actually just _change_ like that. And while Castiel trusts Sam and the other rebels to an extent, he doesn’t trust Dean. Not yet, at least – or ever, maybe.

As soon as the thoughts are spoken in the kin-connection, Dean goes so still that not even his gills are moving. Ellen lets him go and slips out of reach as he turns a cold stare on his brother. _(You can’t keep me here, Sammy.)_

For a moment, Castiel is worried for Sam’s safety, but Bobby takes Dean’s attention from him. _(Trust me, boy, we know. We’re trying to **ask** you to stay.)_

Now for what reason would they want him to stay? It’s Castiel’s curiosity that has kept his attention on their conversation despite it barely having anything to do with him directly. Now it’s his wariness of this topic that has him listening _very_ closely to what’s about to happen.

The determination filling the kin-connection is not very comforting. _(I’m not staying here. You can’t make me stay here.)_

Ellen huffs a loud sigh and rolls her eyes. _(You’re angry, Dean. We get that. We also get that you do dumb shit when you’re like this.)_

_(Gee, thanks.)_

Her frown only deepens as her glare grows even darker. _(I mean it. If we let you out of here like this, you might do something reckless and that could get you and the rest of us killed.)_

The cruelty and unmerciful nature of the fang-fin has long since stopped surprising Castiel. But he still finds it very hard to believe that the fang-fin Council would just _kill_ someone without giving them a proper trial. Even if someone in the bright-fin colony tried to lead a revolution against the Council, Michael would never consider ending their life – and especially never without a proper trial held in front of the entire colony.

It’s equally unbelievable to learn that rather than respect and love their Council, the fang-fin are _scared_ of theirs. Castiel isn’t afraid of anyone in his own Council. Metatron can be rather annoying and Raphael is overbearing, but the other three are perfectly good Council members. Granted, he’s a bit biased with them being his brothers and all, but Castiel knows that they wouldn’t be on the Council if the entire colony didn’t think they did their job well.

 _(I don’t want to keep you here, Dean.)_ Sam puts his hands on Dean’s shoulders to hold him still and hopefully to calm him. _(But we need to. It will only be for a little while. A few days at the most.)_

This plan sounds terrible and Castiel is glad Dean agrees. _(What are you going to tell my division, or the Council? I have responsibilities, y’know. I’m a **Captain** now, Sammy. Everyone is going to **notice** that I’m not fucking there.)_

 _(We’ve thought about that.)_ Bobby grins, clearly pleased that he has an answer. _(You said you were taking a break today, right? Far as they know, you went hunting and you never came back.)_

Castiel almost laughs. _(Are you suggesting that he fakes his death? He wouldn’t be able to return in a few days. He would have to stay here until you’re ready to make a move.)_ The other option would be that he comes back to the bright-fin colony when Castiel is able to swim again. He refuses to even _think_ of making that suggestion for fear that they might actually take it.

 _(No. We were actually thinking more like Dean claims he decided to go scouting for some extra reconnaissance.)_ Ellen shakes her head and settles Castiel’s fears. _(Charlie made the suggestion. You’re known for being devoted to this war, Dean. If you ended up working on your “day off”, no one would question it. Not even the Council.)_

Sam picks up with a delighted smile where she leaves off. _(But when you come back, you just have to explain that you weren’t able to return right away because there were too many bright-fin in the area. You had to take refuge in some kind of cave somewhere until they moved on.)_

Like Castiel, Dean does not seem very impressed with their plan. _(You’re pulling my tail.)_

_(We’re really not.)_

_(But no one is going to know that I went out scouting!)_ He throws his arms up to knock Sam’s hands from his shoulders.

 _(We’ll know.)_ Bobby gestures at himself, Ellen, and Sam. _(It makes sense that you would tell your friends and your brother before you just leave. Sam can even say that he went with you but turned back when it was getting late. But you wanted to stay out just a little longer.)_

It’s no wonder that the rebels were gone for so long. They apparently spent all day concocting the most ridiculous stories imaginable. Castiel pulls at the kin-connection to get their attention. _(And will it be how closed off fang-fin usually are in the kin-connection that will save you from the Council detecting your obvious lie?)_

 _(We won’t be lying.)_ Sam shakes his head and glances back and forth between Castiel and Dean. _(Not really, at least. You’ll be here with Castiel. He’s a bright-fin. You’ll be figuring out a plan with him, which is as good as reconnaissance as you can get. There’s no lie about you being around a bright-fin, in a cave, or gathering information. And you **did** go off on your own too. If you flat out tell us that you’re going scouting, we’ll have the memory to share. No one will be the wiser unless they do a deep search of our minds. And when’s the last time the Council ever did that?)_

Castiel doesn’t have an answer to that question, but he has the feeling it was rhetorical. He also has the feeling that it wasn’t, which means the answer is probably something along the lines of a very long time.

His side-fans flicker at the sound of a groan in the water. At first he mistakes it for a growl, but Dean most definitely groans as he rubs both his hands over his face and pushes them into his hair. _(This is fucking **stupid**. Besides all that, what the hell are we going to do about **him**?)_ He makes a sharp gesture toward Castiel with his hand.

Out of the sheer indignity of the question, Castiel’s fans flare unhappily. It’s a good question, but Dean is making it sound like Castiel is some kind of a _burden_ here. The fang-fin were the one who trapped him here. If they don’t want to deal with him, then they can just let him go and he’ll make the extremely perilous trip back to his colony on his own. But he’ll remain displeased by the tone of Dean’s question, no matter what the answer will be.

He turns a frown to Sam, waiting for the answer.

With a sigh, Sam rubs at the back of his neck and shrugs with one shoulder. _(We’re – uh – still trying to figure that out.)_

 _(How hard is it to just let him go?)_ Dean narrows his eyes at Castiel in a calculating squint. It sends a chill down Castiel’s spine. _(It shouldn’t matter all that much that our colony is between you and yours. All you need to do is just swim straight up. If you go almost all the way to the surface and swim for a distance, no one is going to notice you before you get the chance to dive back down to your colony. Our scouts don’t go that high.)_

Ah, that’s right. Dean hasn’t been informed of Castiel’s _full_ situation yet. Castiel shakes his head and shifts his position until he can curve the end of his tail up in front of him. Normally he would just make the end of the fan rigid to spread it and keep it steady, but he doesn’t want to physically use it. Carefully, he lifts the fan up and out with his hands to show the rips and the tears that have barely healed at all.

 _(I can’t swim with my fans in this condition.)_ Once he’s sure that Dean has seen them, Castiel lowers his tail again. _(If they don’t heal right, I’ll never be able to swim properly again.)_

 _(Yeah. We’re still working on how we’re going to sneak him out of here.)_ Sam shrugs again and gives Dean a sheepish smile. _(In the meantime, he’s just going to heal.)_

Silence falls in the cave after that and it makes Castiel uncomfortable. The conversation clearly isn’t finished, but Castiel has nothing else to say and it’s obvious that Dean is very unhappy with the decision he had no part in making. The other three don’t seem to know what to say either and they glance at each other. Castiel wouldn’t be surprised if they were having their own private conversation in attempts to determine what happens next.

Dean is the one who breaks the silence. _(So, let me get this straight. You want me to stay here and do “reconnaissance” by talking with Cas.)_ He waits for Sam to nod before he looks at Castiel. _(How do you **you** feel about that?)_

Now that _does_ surprise him. Is Dean actually being considerate of his feelings? How unexpected!

Castiel brushes off his surprise with a shrug and a flat stare. _(If I thought my opinion on this plan had any sway in the decision of carrying through with it, I would have already said something about it.)_

That brings a frown to Dean’s lips. _(You don’t want me here.)_

The kin-connection vibrates with the sensation of Dean taking offense at that and Castiel feels a laugh twitch at the base of his throat. It never makes it out, but he’s still at least _slightly_ amused by it. _(It’s not just you. **I** don’t want to be here either.)_

Dean’s tail flicks back and forth under him, buoying him in place. There’s irritation building in the kin-connection and Bobby is quick to cut it off. _(You’re both smart, Dean. Between the two of you, I bet you’ll be able to come up with a better plan for ending this war than what we have right now.)_

It’s enough of a distraction to get Dean to turn away from Castiel, but not before he gives him one more glare. Castiel nearly retaliates with sticking his tongue out at him, but he’s long since grown out of that childish habit – except where Gabriel is concerned.

_(Remind me again about what your dumb plan is?)_

Without warning, Ellen reaches out and smacks Dean in the back of the head. It earns her an annoyed snarl, but she barely bats an eyelash at it. Either she is _very_ confident in her relationship with Dean, or she truly has no care for what could happen next. _(Don’t get smart with us, Dean. We’re doing the best that we can with what we have.)_

 _(Our plan so far is pretty damn simple.)_ Sam cuts off any retort Dean has. His thoughts push insistently at the kin-connection, drawing Dean’s attention back to him. _(We find out which of the fang-fin have been lied to and we tell them the truth. We’re just aiming to pad our own ranks a bit before we think we’ll be able to take on everyone who lied to us.)_

 _(And that’s why you want me to stay here.)_ Dean seems just as incapable of accepting this part of the plan as Castiel. _(You want me to stay here and **talk**.) _ He looks pointedly at Castiel. _(To **him**.)_

Sam nods, his expression completely serious. _(Yes.)_

_(You’re all insane.)_

Bobby snorts a laugh and shakes his head. _(Not exactly. We want you here for more than just talking. It’s not your strong suit, after all.)_ He puts his hand on Dean’s shoulders and gives it a squeeze. _(We’re the ones who brought Castiel here and we need to keep him safe. You followed me out here, so it wouldn’t be any surprise if someone else ends up doing it too. We need someone – a fin-kin like **you** , for example – to stay and protect him.)_

Well that is just _blatantly_ insulting. Castiel hisses and flares all his fans at them. _(I can protect myself!)_

Ellen tries to give him a calming smile, but it just makes Castiel frown at her more. _(We know. But anyone will have the advantage against you will you’re hurt.)_

 _(But you still want me to **guard** him.)_ Dean sounds just as incredulous as Castiel feels. This is a horrible plan. Utterly ridiculous. Absolutely terrible. Anyone who thought it up should reconsider every plan they’ve ever made in their entire life.

 _(We want you to help him help us.)_ Bobby stresses the point, but it’s not making Castiel or Dean like this plan anymore than they did before.

Their dislike for it is an almost tangible feeling in the kin-connection and neither of them is trying to hide it from anyone. The growl rumbling in Castiel’s chest and making his fans flicker isn’t the only sound in the cave. Dean has his own and it’s making his upper lip twitch back in a snarl. Castiel doesn’t like the idea of having a guard and apparently Dean doesn’t like the idea of being one. For as much as Castiel wants company while he’s stuck here, he’d prefer being alone to having _Green-eyes_ be the one who’s stuck here with him.

Dean shakes his head and crosses his arms. _(I don’t want to stay here and keep **talking**. I want to go out there and **do** something, Sammy.)_

 _(I know, Dean.)_ He gives him a pitiful kind of shrug. _(We all want to do something about this. But we just – we **can’t** right now. Please, can you  just stay here until we figure some things out?)_

_(Sam –)_

_(It’s just for a little while. We promise.)_ Ellen interjects, her thoughts hopeful and pleading as they slide through the kin-connection. _(It would just be a few days at the most.)_

_(Ellen –)_

Sam grabs Dean by both his shoulders and looks him in the eye. _(Please, Dean. Can you **please** promise me, as my brother, that you’ll stay here and keep Castiel safe while you two work on this problem? We need you here right now.)_

Castiel huffs loudly and crosses his arms while making sure to glare at each of them in turn. They’re making these decisions without him and he hates it. He hates not being able to have a say in anything because, whether they think it or not, Castiel is still their _prisoner_. And apparently no one has noticed how contradictory it is to have _Dean_ of all fin-kin be the one to watch over him. Is there anyone else in this war who has spilled as much bright-fin blood as Green-eyes has? Now they’re asking him to _guard_ one and it’s almost hilarious. If only Castiel wasn’t too angry to be amused right now.

Dean clearly doesn’t find anything about this even remotely amusing either. His anger is so poignant that Castiel can almost taste it in the water. _(Cas doesn’t want me here anymore than I want to be here. Why should I –)_

It’s at that exact moment when something occurs to Castiel then. The thought only pops into his mind when his gaze drifts around the cave and eventually lands on the long forgotten metal rope. As soon as he sees it, he interrupts Dean to ask his own question. _(If he stays, does that mean you don’t need to use the metal rope to keep me here anymore?)_

Bobby raises both his eyebrows as he glances to where Castiel is looking. _(I suppose we’d have no use for it if you’ve got a guard to make sure you don’t try and take off and get your tail caught.)_

That seals Castiel’s decision in an instant. _(I’m fine with Dean staying.)_ He’d much rather put up with Dean than be completely uncomfortable in multiple ways; such as sitting here alone in the silence with the cold metal rope sitting heavily around his waist.

His decision appears to have caught Dean off guard and he stares at Castiel in disbelief for a moment. He stares back, his face emotionless.  If he’s allowed any kind of decision in this complete mess of a conversation, then this is it. Though it isn’t much of an actual _decision_. It’s more his opinion on the situation, but it’s the best he can do right now and he’ll stare Dean down as defiantly as he can.

Finally, after an obscenely long time, Dean sighs loudly. He pulls away from the others and drifts towards where Bobby left the bag of fish. Another sigh passes through his gills as he lays on his belly and pulls the bag close to pick at the knot holding it closed. _(Fine. I’ll stay here and watch over him.)_ He stops long enough to point a finger at Sam, Bobby, and Ellen in turn. _(But you bastards better be careful out there. If I get out of here and find out that the Council is pissed because I went missing without a good explanation, I’m blaming you.)_

Dean narrows his eyes at Sam in particular. _(And if you die, I’m never going to forgive you.)_

Sam’s smile is small, but he nods and leans down to touch his forehead to Dean’s. It’s a strangely intimate gesture and Castiel averts his eyes to let them have their privacy. He can’t help but wonder if all fang-fin do that with their siblings. With Castiel and his siblings, they tend to touch a lot with many hugs or sleeping in a pile. But things could be entirely different for the fang-fin, right? It’s a logical thought, but Castiel doesn’t want to think about it further. It still hurts to think about how much he misses all of his brothers and Anna.

With all decisions made and agreed upon, it’s time for the rebels to leave. They’ve been here later than they usually would and the need the time to make the long swim back to their sleep spots before anyone decides that they’re missing. Castiel stays silent while they give their goodbyes to Dean. When they wave to him on their way out, he flicks his side-fin and tilts his head in a silent farewell. It’s very refreshing to cut the kin-connection with them but not be met with the terrifying silence of loneliness.

Despite still having the kin-connection with Dean, it’s not doing Castiel much good. The link they have right now is clogged with his moody sulk as he pulls fish from the bag and picks them apart. Granted, Castiel doesn’t have much to say either. But at least he’s not _alone_. He’s actually plenty happy to sit and play with the bones of his earlier meal. Of course, that only keeps him entertained for so long. After all the so called excitement of this morning, Castiel feels like he should be doing something else right now.

As time continues to slink by, Castiel gets more and more bored. And when he gets bored, he passes the time with the songs of his colony. Dean doesn’t pay him any mind when he sits back against the wall with a loud sigh. If he gets annoyed by the song, he can keep his complaints to himself or offer something to keep Castiel entertained. Castiel picks a song of his childhood to sing; one that parents would sing to their nests to help the hatchlings sleep.

The song has barely started before Dean lifts his head from his arms. An unhappy glare is twisting his lips down. _(Do you **have** to keep singing? You did it all damn day. Why can’t you just shut up now?)_

 _(What is it about my singing that you dislike, exactly?)_ Castiel is curious about it and he pulses that feeling through the kin-connection. He’s never met anyone in the colony who doesn’t like or find comfort in the sound of their songs.

 _(It’s annoying.)_ Dean huffs and tears into one of his fish. _(So cut it out.)_

He considers that for a moment before choosing not to. _(Do you know what I sing?)_

_(Because **you’re** annoying too?)_

Castiel narrows his eyes and flares his fans at him, his disapproval filling the kin-connection. But all Dean does is laugh and pull one of the bones out from between his teeth. His thoughts take a teasing turn and it takes a moment for the realization to sink in. Dean is _joking_. Well, isn’t that just fantastic. Apparently Castiel is now trapped in a cave with a trickster like Gabriel. That’s exactly what he needs in this kind of situation. And the scariest part of that is that that thought might not be as sarcastic as he means it to be.

He sighs and forces his fins to flatten again as he finds his center. _(Singing the songs I grew up with keeps me calm. They remind me of my home and my family.)_

The kin-connection sobers immediately and Dean ducks his head. _(Oh.)_ His apologies are wrapped around that one thought.

For someone who didn’t want to be left her with him, Dean is being oddly open and friendly right now. It’s rather suspicious and Castiel squints at him. _(My songs keep me sane when I’m alone.)_

Dean tilts his head at him and raises one of his eyebrows. _(But you’re not alone anymore. I’m here.)_

_(Is that supposed to be a comfort to me?)_

They stare at each other for a moment before Dean looks away and puts his head back down on his arms. _(Not really.)_ After another beat of silence, he waves one of his hands in Castiel’s direction. _(You can go back to singing if you want.)_

He didn’t need Dean’s permission to do it, but Castiel appreciates it nonetheless. Luckily, he’s able to continue talking even while he’s singing. _(If it’s of any comfort to you, singing also helps to organize my thoughts. With my mind clear, I can think of better ways to stop this war.)_

Dean immediately sits up, intrigue filling his thoughts. _(Do you have any ideas?)_

 _(Aside from swimming out there and ripping your monster-spawn Council members apart?)_ Castiel gives him a lopsided smile. _(Unfortunately I’m not capable of that right now.)_

It shouldn’t please him to actually get a laugh out of Dean, but it does when Dean throws his head back with a loud laugh. _(I like that idea.)_ He shifts to makes himself more comfortable with his tail folded under him and he picks up another fish. _(I’m itching to go out there and do just that. If I hadn’t promised Sam that I wouldn’t, I’d be out there right now.)_

After a moment of turning the fish over in his hand, Dean looks up at Castiel with determined eyes and resolve firm in the kin-connection. _(I need to make them believe in me again.)_

 _(I’m sure they will.)_ Castiel reaches around the walls of his mind to touch a small bit of comfort against Dean’s thoughts. _(They love you.)_ Dean laughs again, but there’s no joy in it and Castiel choose that moment to change the topic before things can get even _more_ depressing. _(Everything would end so quickly if I was able to speak with the bright-fin Council.)_

Gratitude lines the kin-connection as Dean looks at him again. _(Yeah?)_

Even though he’s in the middle of a song, Castiel nods. _(Of course. All I would need to do is take them my memories of everything I’ve learned in this cave. They would have no other choice but to believe me.)_

Confusion replaces the gratitude and Dean frowns slightly. _(Would that really do any good, though? It’s **my** Council that we need to stop. If we stopped your colony, mine would just invade the fuck out of your territory and kill everyone, whether they fought back or not.)_

 _(I know.)_ That’s what makes it all the worse. _(And there’s always the chance that even though my Council will believe me, they’ll still be expecting a double cross from you and the rest of the rebels.)_ He sighs and slumps against the wall. _(That’s why we’re stuck figuring out how to stop your Council. And that’s why I haven’t been able to think of anything else aside from slowly converting your Council’s followers out from under them.)_

Sighing, Dean shakes his head and leans his shoulder against one of the stone columns. His thoughts are pensive when Castiel touches them, as if he’s actually thinking about other ways to stop his Council. Castiel sings a little quieter to give him the peace he needs to figure things out.

When Dean looks to him again, Castiel is expecting something like an actual plan. The last thing he’s prepared for is an apology filled with genuine regret. _(I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me.)_ Dean gestures at himself and the regret fades into the same bitter resentment as before. It’s a disgust that’s aimed inwards at himself and it disappears from their link almost immediately . _(It must suck being stuck her with the green-eyed **killer**.)_

What is he supposed to say to that? Castiel can’t think of a single thing. His song dwindles into silence while they’re locked into staring at each other yet again. Should he tell Dean that he doesn’t mind him being here? Having him here is better than nothing. But he can’t bring himself to share the thought. It might not be what Dean needs to hear right now and Castiel isn’t sure what that might be.

After a while, Dean shrugs and lays down again. The lack of a response might be the reason why, but Castiel honestly doesn’t know what to say. He watches as Dean curls up on his side, a soft defeat filling the kin-connection. It covers everything else and Castiel frowns at the feeling. Dean is a very confusing fin-kin. One minute he’s making jokes and the next he’s depressed. It will take some time before Castiel will know how to properly deal with him.

Hope touches against the edge of his mind and it catches Castiel by surprise. _(Yes, Dean?)_

 _(Your – uh – that song you were just singing...)_ An embarrassed edge takes to his thoughts and Dean shifts slightly, though he doesn’t look at Castiel. _(It was pretty nice.)_

_(Would you like me to sing more like it?)_

He still doesn’t look at Castiel, but Dean does nod. After a few heartbeats, Castiel open his mouth and sings another his favourite songs he learned from his mother. Hopefully it will help Dean feel less sad. Castiel doesn’t know how to deal with him when he’s like this – aside from feeling a vague sense of pity and sympathy for him, that is. Well, at least they’re both free from the metal rope and _Green-eyes_ isn’t trying to kill him. That’s certainly a plus.

Maybe Castiel _can_ trust him after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a moment of silence, Dean turns to face Castiel with determination burning in the kin-connection. _(I’m not going to be like that again. I swear it. Never again.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Castiel hasn’t done anything all day and yet still he can feel Dean’s annoyance with him seeping into the kin-connection. Really, he hasn’t done a single thing. They’ve talked a little bit about whether or not Sam and the others might come back today, but other than that it’s been nothing but silence. The most Castiel has done is make a few designs on the cave floor with some fish bones. He hasn’t even been singing, let alone even really moving.

It’s of little surprise to him that eventually whatever patience Dean has finally breaks – though he must applaud how long he managed to hold out. _(Would you **stop it** already?)_ The very same annoyance spreads through the kin-connection in a stinging wave. _(I don’t have many nerves left and you’re rubbing them all the wrong way.)_

 _(I’m not doing anything.)_ His side-fans flicker out in amusement. Castiel isn’t even annoyed by this. It just means that something is _finally_ happening. Today has been so _boring_ and it’s been almost too quiet for even _his_ liking.

Dean shakes his head and points an accusing finger at Castiel. _(You keep doing that **longing** thing.)_ His upper lip twitches back when Castiel answer that accusation with an amused sense of confusion. _(Don’t’ act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.)_

He’s right, of course. Castiel knows exactly what he’s talking about. It’s the one thing that he hasn’t been completely hiding from the kin-connection while they’ve been sitting here. Dean has been subjected to a good portion of Castiel’s sadness and just how much he aches for everything that he misses – such as, most importantly, his family. But it’s not just that either. Castiel misses the open ocean; his colony; the feel of hundreds of minds connected to his instead of just one; and he misses the thrill of hunting his own food. If he has to keep sitting here and eating without moving, he’s going to end up being as round as Metatron.

Though he would never admit it, Castiel had already assumed that would be the reason why Dean was getting annoyed with him. But he can’t decide if he let those feeling into the kin-connection on purpose purely to bother Dean, or if he did it because he really had no reason to hide any of it when he was alone. The only time Castiel ever hid anything was when one of the fang-fins’ minds touched his own. Even though he is well aware of Dean’s presence, it’s possible that Castiel hasn’t fully adjusted to having another fin-kin here. After all, it’s only been one day.

Then again, it could be just because Castiel is _very_ tired. He hardly slept at all last night. How was he supposed to have a proper night’s rest when one of the most deadly members of the fang-fin colony is in full health and resting not more than a few tail-lengths away? In fact, Dean’s irritability could be associated to that too. Castiel is well aware that Dean didn’t get much – if any – sleep either. He must have had the same worries and trust issues that kept Castiel awake all night.

With a sigh, Castiel stems the flow of his feelings into the kin-connection. Of course he’s not going to block it _all_ , but Dean doesn’t need to be subject to so much of it any more. After all, it’s in Castiel’s best interest to make sure that Dean stays in a good mood. Castiel is most definitely at a disadvantage here. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to do it without a glare that borders on a pout. He’s not used to hiding so much of himself and he can only hope that he can go home soon.

Honestly, though, that’s probably quite a ways off still.

Castiel and Dean still have to wait for Sam and the other rebels to return with their food for the day. And they should be bringing with them news of whether or not their half-truth-half-lies were believed. If they never come back, that will be their answer. If they’re not dead, then it would be unsafe for them to return. Either way, if they don’t come back, Dean will likely work himself into a rage and blame the bright-fin – Castiel included – for everything that might happen to anyone he cares about.

Castiel prefers not to think about that, actually, and he turns his thoughts away from dwelling on that particular current. Oh no. He shouldn’t have thought about a current. Now all he wants in this world is to taste the fresh water of the ocean running through his gills. Thinking about it just makes Castiel feel like the cave is so much smaller than it actually is. What he wouldn’t do to at least be at the entrance to the cave system just so he doesn’t have to breathe this stale water anymore.

His slightly shared thoughts are – thankfully – interrupted by a muffled groan. Dean stretches out on his stomach and crosses his arms under his chin as he faces Castiel. _(If I could take you to the exit, I would.)_ One side of his mouth tilts up in an amused smile that is reflected in the kin-connection. _(If only because it might finally make you shut up and I can get some peace and quiet.)_

The last comment doesn’t faze Castiel in the slightest. It’s Dean’s sincerity in his first statement that catches him by surprise and has his fans spreading out again. Dean means it. If he could, he would take Castiel to the edge of the caves. Though he suspects that Dean’s altruism is likely more self-serving than it first appears. He must be craving the open ocean just as much as Castiel is.

 _(It’s too bad about your glow, though.)_ Dean’s smile only gets bigger and he gestures at Castiel’s tail. _(You’re too damn bright for that. We would be spotted in a heartbeat if I took you there.)_

Well that’s something that can be easily rectified. Castiel frowns at Dean as he dims his glow to almost nothing. He needs to rely on his echoes to see what Dean’s laugh looks like as it rumbles through the cave. It sends a chill through Castiel’s bones – but it’s not the _bad_ kind of chill. Despite how he doesn’t exactly _like_ Dean, Castiel does like his laugh. It’s pleasing to listen to.

 _(It’s not **just** your glow.) _The laughter fades slowly and there’s gratitude leaking into the kin-connection. As if he’s _happy_ that Castiel managed to make him laugh. _(The currents outside the cave is strong and you bright-fin have a very specific scent. One whiff of it and a fang-fin is gonna know that you’re nearby. They might come looking for you.)_ He pauses and tilts his head in thought. _(Probably.)_

Castiel rolls his eyes and slumps against the wall. He releases his concentration and his glow starts to come back slowly. As much as he understand Dean’s reasoning and he really would prefer not to be noticed by any other fang-fin, Castiel _really_ misses his family. On top of that, he really hates that he hasn’t actually been able to really movefor more than an entire rotation. His webbing itches where it’s healing, but his whole tail aches with the desire to just _move_.

It’s like Castiel’s entire body is just screaming for the chance to flex properly and swim. But he can’t do that. Even trying to simply glide by doing nothing more than rippling his adipose fins wouldn’t be good. There are minor tears along those, but he doesn’t want to take the risk of ruining his end fans. Technically speaking, Castiel could try paddling with his arms while making himself float, but that wouldn’t give him the same kind of satisfaction as _swimming_ would.

There’s little point in hiding these particular frustrations from the kin-connection and Castiel lets them slip into the link slightly. He doesn’t expect Dean to push himself up on his elbows and pulse curiosity at him in response. It might be Castiel’s imagination, but he thinks he feels a bit of concern in there. Is Dean actually so bored that he’s making it his business to find some way to make Castiel comfortable? He finds that hard to believe.

 _(Is there something I can do to help with that?)_ Dean offers a suggestion in the form of an image that flickers into the kin-connection. It’s of him helping buoy Castiel along by swimming underneath him and holding him up so he can at least move around.

 _(No. It’s fine.)_ Castiel shakes his head and smoothes his hand over the ruffled fins along the side of his tail. _(Another day or so and I should be able to swim carefully. I could probably swim now, but I don’t want to take the risk.)_

Besides, Dean’s method would require that he actually _touch_ Castiel and he doesn’t want that. At this point in time, the only touching that he craves are the comforting hugs that only his siblings can give. And Dean is still a fang-fin after all, not to mention that he’s _Green-eyes_. Castiel knows without a fact that he would absolutely _not_ want Dean to touch him. _Ever_. The larger the distance between them, the better it will be for everyone.

Now Castiel needs some comfort. _(Do you mind if I start singing?)_ Dean hasn’t complained about the songs since he learned what they mean to him, but Castiel can’t help but wonder if there’s another limit to Dean’s patience. It’s just a matter of time before he most likely snaps again.

 _(Go ahead.)_ Dean shrugs and makes a flippant gesture before he settles on his side, facing him. _(At least it’ll be something to listen to. I’m bored out of my skull right now.)_

He can relate to that rather well. Castiel starts singing and almost immediately he can feel the tension in his chest let go. It’s been building since he stopped singing last night so they could sleep. He even closes his eyes and let’s his mind drift while he sings without thought.

It comes as no surprise to him that Dean interrupts not long after. It was bound to happen, and sure enough, he’s only made his way through one song before Dean is sighing loudly and sitting up to face Castiel fully. The only thing about it that catches Castiel off guard is that Dean’s interruption isn’t exactly what he was expecting.

_(Okay. I don’t care if you sing your damn heart out, but what the **fuck** do these songs **mean**?)_

Castiel stops his song and stares at Dean for an extended moment. Is he actually interested in learning about the stories behind the songs, or is he _just_ bored enough to want this kind of conversation until Sam and the others hopefully return? How bored does he need to be for actually seeking a conversation with Castiel, of all people? The only question that really matters, of course, is whether or not he should tell Dean anything. It means that he’ll be learning more about the colony; nothing important or overly personal for him, but it’s still telling a _fang-fin_ about bright-fin things.

But it would pass time and he doesn’t have anything else to do. What harm would there be in telling Dean? After all, Castiel is supposed to be trying to foster some kind of _truce_ with him. Dean is already upset with what his Council has been doing, but he’s still biased against the bright-fin. It’s Castiel’s mission to make Dean more amenable to working with them – to work with _him_.

With a sigh, Castiel shifts around a bit to make himself comfortable and to carefully curl his tail under him without disturbing his fans too much. How should he explain this? He contemplates what to say for a short moment before he shrugs and looks to Dean again.

 _(It’s just history.)_ And of course Dean stares at him for that answer, so Castiel elaborates. _(It’s a part of the history of my colony. Major events, legends, stories, and more.)_

Dean’s stare doesn’t change and disbelief filters into the kin-connection around his thoughts. _(You – guys **sing** your history?)_

That makes Castiel frown. What’s so weird about that? _(Of course we do. Don’t you?)_

He doesn’t expect Dean to start laughing. Nor does Castiel expect him to sit back on the fold of his tail and make a rough noise as though he’s clearing his throat. But the noise doesn’t stop. Dean opens his mouth and it’s like rocks are being ground together in his mouth. It’s the worst thing Castiel has ever heard a living, healthy fin-kin make. And then it gets _worse_ as the grating rumble becomes a screech. It’s enough to make Castiel’s side-fans narrow and flatten against his head in an attempt to block the sound out. He even puts his hands over them because Dean just keeps _going_.

_(For the love of Mother-sea, **stop**!)_

A thick sense of _smug_ spreads over the kin-connection as Dean settles down onto his arms again. _(And now you know that fang-fin can’t sing.)_

It’s an utterly baffling concept. Everyone in Castiel’s colony can sing. He drops his hands and his side-fans flick out in curiosity. _(But then how do you record your histories?)_

 _(Like any other sane fin-kin.)_ Dean shrugs and his smile is more of a smirk than anything else. _(We just remember them.)_

 _(I’m not making up the song as I sing it. I’m **remembering** it.)_ And Castiel takes personal insult at apparently being _insane_ for having a song instead of simply a memory.

His disgruntled edge to the kin-connection only draws amusement from Dean. _(I mean that we literally remember the memories of a specific fin-kin who was present for the events we record. And then we share those memories down through the generations.)_ He grins, interest filling their link. _(You have history keepers, right?)_

Castiel sits forward, intrigued. _(Yes.)_

 _(For us, history keepers are the only fin-kin in our colony who don’t **have** to fight. They’re too important for that – more important than the Council even.)_ Dean looks off towards the entrance into the cave, a distant look in his eyes while he speaks. _(It’s because they’re the ones who have the memories, so nothing bad can happen to them or else we’ll lose our history. I don’t even know how far back the memories they have go. But if we need to know something about our history, either we learn it through gossip or we go and ask a keeper about it to hope that there’s something in the memories that’s at least kinda relevant to whatever we need.)_

Dean pauses for a long moment before he looks to Castiel again. _(Are you a keeper?)_

_(No.)_

_(Then how do you know one of your history songs?)_

He shrugs. It’s not that exciting of an answer. _(I’ve heard it enough to know it by now. The keepers are always practicing the songs or they’re teaching them to new keepers. We also learn some of the more important history songs while we’re still hatchlings. The ones with lessons or warnings of things we should know not to repeat.)_ Castiel takes a pause of his own while he forms his thoughts. _(Most of the colony, the non-keepers, don’t know the songs like I do. I’ve just listened to them a lot. It’s considered perfectly acceptable to have a vague knowledge of our history as long as mistakes aren’t repeated.)_

The kin-connection vibrates with Dean’s touch as he picks apart and analyzes what he’s shared. His conclusion brings another frown to Castiel’s lips. _(Bright-fin are weird.)_

His fans flare in a defensive stance. _(No more weird than you fang-fin. You can’t even **sing**.)_ And that’s the weirdest thing of them all.

Dean just shrugs one of his shoulders and gives a little laugh. _(Well, we can’t all glow and sing like you.)_

Castiel shakes his head. _(Of course not.)_ That’s just ridiculous. _(Not all fish look the same, but they all serve an important role in the ocean.)_

Not even Dean seems to expect his own surprise that flickers through the kin-connection. Something clears up on his side of the link at the edges of his mind – as if Castiel had taken his glow and put it there to brighten the area. Dean makes a soft, curious kind of noise in his throat. It only serves to make Castiel curious himself and he pulses it through the kin-connection at him, hoping for an answer. What revelation did Dean just have?

To his great disappointment, Castiel doesn’t get an answer. Dean merely shrugs at his confusion and turns away to lay with his back towards him. It marks the end of the conversation and Castiel frowns at him. He can’t just _do_ that, can he? It’s rude and Castiel does not approve of it. They were in the middle of talking and now Dean is just – being _weird._

Castiel throws his disapproval into the kin-connection before he starts singing again. Fine, then. He can do whatever he wants. If Dean doesn’t want to talk anymore, then they won’t. But Castiel is _very_ disappointed. This is the first conversation they’ve had that he was actually interested in. He got to _learn_ about the fang-fin – just like he always wanted. But now he wants _more_. What else could he get Dean to teach him purely by having conversations like this?

He doesn’t get very long to think about it before Sam and the others finally arrive with breakfast.

*

It takes a few more days to pass before Castiel stops worrying that the rest of the rebels might not return the following day. He used to worry that when they left, he might not see them again. But they’ve come back without fail every day to see him and Dean. Sometimes they’re later than usual, but that’s a given. They’re supposed to be _sneaky_ about coming here and if they always disappear from the colony at the same time, that might raise suspicions.

As it is, the Council doesn’t seem to suspect that anything is wrong. According to Sam, they were apparently very pleased to hear that Dean had taken it upon himself to go scouting. Castiel thought they might question why he left _alone_ , but they haven’t. Is it really normal for fang-fin to do most things on their own? For him, that seems inconceivable. Bright-fin scouts are always in pairs, at the very least.

While the fang-fin Council might like that Dean took initiative, they are apparently not all the pleased that he hasn’t come back yet. Castiel isn’t surprised to hear that they’re not actually _worried_ about him. They’re just not happy that one of their warrior leaders has disappeared. He kind of expected to hear something like that. The fang-fin Council doesn’t seem all that caring, from his understanding of them.

But whether or not the rebels will return isn’t the only thing Castiel has stopped worrying about. After spending a few days in Dean’s company, he has stopped being wary of him – for the most part. Dean has been fairly quiet while they’ve been stuck here together. There are moments where they have short conversations – mostly about whichever song Castiel was singing at that point in time. Despite his curiosity, Dean has also been unable to hold still.

There have been plenty of moments where Dean pushes up from the floor to swim back and forth around the cave. He weaves around the columns and gets to _move_. Castiel is a little jealous of it – regardless of how Dean’s side of the link writhes with his anger. Every so often a few words will slip into the kin-connection. More often than not, it’s something about _liars_. It doesn’t take much to determine that he’s thinking about the Council.

He was doing this once while the other rebels were here and Sam had explained that Dean feels extremely betrayed by their leaders. That was obvious in itself, but Sam continued to explain that Dean was only fighting this war and killing so much because that’s what he believed he had to do. That brought up a question in Castiel’s mind that he didn’t want to share with Sam.

The rebels have been left for the day when Castiel brings it up. _(May I ask you something?)_

Dean is still picking at the fish that were brought for him. He glances up and shrugs. _(Sure, why not? It’s not like there’s anything else to do.)_

This has the potential to be very bad and Castiel carefully chooses his words. _(Sam claimed that if you knew the truth, then you would never have killed my kin.)_ He winces slightly, but Dean doesn’t have much of a reaction aside from going still. Castiel shifts slightly. _(Is – is that true?)_

It takes Dean a little time to say anything and his thoughts are bitter and almost painful to feel. _(I did it because it’s what I believed I had to do.)_

 _(But would you have abstained had you known that it was a lie?)_ Castiel presses a little more. If he’s going to actually _trust_ Dean, then he needs to know this. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever forgive him for what he’s done, but Castiel might be able to make sure that Dean doesn’t do it again.

He would almost claim victory when Dean drops his fish and turns a wide-eyed stare to him. Dean’s mouth is open and shock is ricocheting through the kin-connection. With it is a trembling horror, as if Dean can’t believe that Castiel just asked him that. He even slashes at the water with his hand and a growl rumbles in his throat.

For a few moments, he’s not able to say anything. When he does, there’s a disbelieving anger vibrating along his thoughts. _(How could you even – No! Mother-sea, **no**. You’re fin-kin just like me. I only kill when I **have** to!) _He hisses and starts swimming. _(I’m not an – I’m not an **animal**.)_

Castiel doesn’t believe him. That last statement echoed with a lie. He narrows his eyes and shares the recent memory of it in the kin-connection so Dean knows that he felt how false it was. It brings Dean to a sudden stop and his shoulders slump. With a sad sigh, he sinks to the floor again and leans against one of the columns, his back still to Castiel. The kin-connection between them is still a half-hidden link, but Dean still allows Castiel to feel slivers of his own intense self-loathing.

 _(I never wanted to be a monster.)_ He hugs himself, as if he can be his own comfort against his internal pain. _(I just did what I thought I had to do. But I – I became everything I never wanted to be.)_

What should he say to that? Castiel can’t forgive him, but he doesn’t want to make Dean think that he _blames_ him for what he’s done. He doesn’t – not completely. His feelings regarding this situation are a bit conflicting – but the more time they spend together, the more Castiel believes that Dean isn’t as bad as he first thought he was. Green-eyes was a monster, but Dean is – well, he’s not nearly as bad.

After a moment of silence, Dean turns to face Castiel with determination burning in the kin-connection. _(I’m not going to be like that again. I swear it. Never again.)_

It feels odd that Castiel actually wants to believe him. _(Prove it to me.)_ He adjusts how he’s sitting so his tail is stretched out in front of him. _(Tell me more about yourself. Teach me about the monster that you’re not.)_ Maybe if he learns more about Dean, it will make it slightly easier to forgive him for what he’s done – if he can ever do that.

* * *

Well that’s not what he was expecting at all. Sure, Dean wants to get Cas to trust him and everything, but it’s not like he wants to spill his own guts without getting anything back in return. It kind of really sucks being stuck here in a cave with a guy who doesn’t actually like him. There hasn’t exactly been anything like outright hostility going on between them, but he wouldn’t go as far as saying that he and Cas are all buddy-buddy or anything like that.

And what’s the end game here, anyways? Is he _supposed_ to make Cas trust him? From a tactical point of view, that would be a very good thing. It’s not going to do much to have just one bright-fin trusting him, but that’s still something. One could lead to more and, if Dean could potentially get the full force of the bright-fin warriors behind him, he might actually be able to do something that could _change_ his colony for the better. Which, of course, means that he should start with getting rid the current fang-fin Council.

Okay, so, yes. It _would_ be a good idea to get Cas to trust him. But, just because he wants Cas to trust him, kinda, doesn’t mean that _he_ trusts _Cas_. That’s something that needs to be worked for and Dean’s trust isn’t earned so easily.

Dean shakes his head and crosses his arms. _(I’m not giving up anything for free. If you want to know about me, then you have to tell me about yourself too.)_ Why in the fuck is he starting to feel excited about this? Maybe it’s because this is actually something interesting to do? He’s been bored out of his head for the last few days. _(Tell me all about the bright-fin and yourself.)_ After all, trust is a current that flows in both directions. Dean just isn’t comfortable being the only one sharing anything personal here.

Honestly, the first thing Dean expects Cas to do is tell him to fuck off. He’s being kind of invasive here, even if Cas was the one who asked for proof first. To his surprise, Cas tilts his head to look at him and actually nods in agreement.

 _(Alright.)_ Cas shifts again to make himself all comfortable looking, even taking the time to smooth his hands over his scales like he’s trying to make them clean. Oh yeah, the poor guy probably hasn’t been able to have a sand bath in way too long a time.

 _(My name is Castiel.)_ He starts and Dean almost rolls his eyes. _(And I am the youngest of six siblings. I have one older sister and four older brothers.)_

Dean raises both of his eyebrows. That was pretty damn unexpected. He’s the youngest? Well, he doesn’t act like it. But still... _(I already knew one of those things.)_ Dean fights against the urge to pout.

 _(We’re starting small.)_ Cas shrugs and there might actually be a little smile working its way onto his lips.

A grin of his own has to be held back. Fine, if that’s how Cas wants to play it, Dean can do that too. _(I’m Dean and I’m the oldest of our nest. Sam is my only brother because the other eggs never hatched.)_

He makes sure that it’s known in the kin-connection that he doesn’t feel too broken up about that. Even though Dean does that, Cas still lets a little sadness wrap around his words. _(I’m sorry to hear that.)_

 _(It’s fine.)_ Dean shrugs. _(Apparently it happens in my family line.)_ After all, his mom had three other eggs in her nest when she was born and she’s the only one who ever hatched. All of Dad’s siblings hatched, but the majority of his siblings all died before their first mating season came along.

But now it’s Cas’s turn again and Dean waits while he hums to himself. It’s only a few moments before Cas sits forward so his back isn’t touching the wall. The flexible fins on his back fold out and spread fully, the top most spines practically pointing straight up. _(I am the only one among my siblings who has double back-fans. I take after my mother with them.)_

Well, damn. That’s pretty cool. _(Neat.)_

Shit. Now what is he supposed to say? It’s his turn and Dean doesn’t have the first idea what he should say next. He scratches his head and stares at a part of the wall to Cas’s side while he’s thinking. Anything that he can think of is either extremely personal or way too focused on fighting in some way, shape, or form. Which is kind of not the things that he wants to be sharing right now. Cas might not like that and Dean isn’t comfortable sharing that kind of stuff anyways.

_(I don’t know what else to say.)_

Cas’s secret smile gets a little bigger. _(What about your favourite food?)_

Oh! That’s a quick, easy kind of question. _(Crab. We once came across an area with **the** tastiest crab I’ve ever had.) _His jaw twinges hungrily from just remember it, oh sweet Mother-sea. Even though he just ate, he wants it. _(I almost cried when the Council decided to move on. Worst day **ever**.)_

Immediately, Cas covers his mouth and looks away. Dean can’t decide if he should be upset about it or if he should be entertained by it, because the amusement trickling into the kin-connection is more than enough for Dean to know that Cas is just shy of actually _laughing_ at him right now. Honestly, he’s kind of liking it. This is the first sign that Cas might actually have a sense of humour.

 _(Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.)_ Dean can’t hold his own smile back and he gestures at Cas. _(What’s **your** favourite food, then?)_

 _(I don’t have one.)_ Cas shrugs and drops his hand. His little smile is still hanging around in the corners of his lips. _(I like a lot of things, but nothing I would say is my **favourite**. The same could be said for colours and songs and just about everything. I can never make up my mind for which ones I like best.)_

That’s a little disappointing, but it’s also pretty... _(Understandable.)_ Dean stretches out on his belly again. He’s surprised by how strong his curiosity is to learn more about Cas. Is he really that bored? What else can he get Cas to tell him? _(Tell me about your family.)_

Cas hesitates before he shakes his head. _(No.)_

He frowns, but he understands and lets that feeling into the kin-connection. _(Too personal, huh?)_

 _(Yes.)_ Relief flickers into their link – as if Cas had been a little worried that Dean would keep pushing for it. _(Try asking me again tomorrow. Maybe I’ll feel more like sharing that then.)_

Damn. Now Dean needs to think of something else they could talk about. Mother-sea help him, what else is there? It takes him a second to think of something else. _(Can you tell me about your history? Like, I mean, the history of your people.)_ He stops as something occurs to him. _(Oh! What kind of story do you bright-fin have for the birth of Mother-sea?)_

Confusion fills the kin-connection and Cas tilts his head at him again. _(What makes you think that we would have different stories?)_

It’s kind of the most logical conclusion. _(I don’t know, maybe because we have different vocal languages and enough differences in the way that our colonies live? It’s not that big of a deal to kind of assume that there are different things in our legends, right?)_

Cas looks contemplative for a moment. _(That’s very true. Alright, then.)_

He closes his eyes and leans back against the wall again. After another heartbeat, he starts singing. Dean almost interrupts before he remembers what Cas said. Their stories and legends and histories are stored in their songs. _This_ is Cas telling him their story about Mother-sea in his own way. And not long after he starts singing, images start filling the kin-connection as Cas tries translating the song into something for Dean to understand.

The story starts out with Steady-blue, the ever changing blue space above the waves, looking down upon an empty world. Steady-blue was lonely and in its loneliness, it started to cry. Every tear it shed was full of all the hope and the love that Steady-blue wished to give, though there was no one to give it to.  Steady-blue cried until the seas were filled. It cried until Mother-sea – born from Steady-blue’s love – raised her voice in the crash of her waves against the barren shores.

When Steady-blue looks down at the world now, it sees Mother-sea looking back up. And that is all they could ever do. Neither one could touch the other and they could only ever talk through Steady-blue’s storms and Mother-sea’s waves. Despite that, it wasn’t enough for Steady-blue. It was still lonely.

All of Steady-blue’s love and hope lay in Mother-sea, playing deep beneath her waves. Mother-sea’s only desire was for Steady-blue to be happy. She took everything Steady-blue had given her, pulling it from her deeps. With it, she created life – as all life in this world come from Mother-sea.

First she made the creatures that walk on land. She gave them their lungs and their many tails before she sent them to live on the ground. There Steady-blue would always be able to see their children. It might never be able to touch them, but maybe it would be less lonely. To her delight, Steady-blue was happy and it smiled down upon their children with its colour-arcs.

But Mother-sea was lonely too. She had sent all her children to the land where Steady-blue could see them, but her waters were left empty and her deeps echoed with her own loneliness. So Mother-sea took what hope and love she had left and she brought into existence the sea-giants with their beautiful songs and their smaller kin. But they had lungs just like the land dwellers and they could not go too far from her surface. Her water bound children could swim deep, but they could never fill all of her.

So Mother-sea continued to create. She made the monstrous deep-giants to fill her depths, and the fish and the sharks to swim in all of her levels. And when she was done, Mother-sea looked to the land again to see how her children had changed. There she saw the two-tails who had grown from some of her first children. Upon seeing them, Mother-sea created the fin-kin, combining her fishy children with her land children to make the best of creatures; the fin-kin.

With her fin-kin, she made them as varied as the many fish that fill her waters. As Mother-sea’s favourite children, she gave them all that she could. The fin-kin spread out through her waters, living in her deeps and filling her with their voices, their songs, and their love. And, at last, Mother-sea was finally happy.

When the song and the images end, Dean opens his eyes to find Cas watching him. The cave feels _way_ too quiet now that Cas has stopped singing. They’re both just sitting there staring at each other and Dean kind of doesn’t really know what to think now. Cas’s story and the song were both beautiful, but it _is_ slightly different from what Dean’s been taught from his own history keepers.

 _(You wanna hear how I learned it?)_ He offers, sitting back on his tail again.

 _(Of course.)_ Cas nods and an excited edge fills the kin-connection. He’s obviously looking forward to this and it’s kind of a little bit adorable.

Dean discards that thought the moment he has it. Not only was it a really weird one to have, but right now he needs to focus on remembering the differences that he found while Cas was telling the story. He thinks about it for a few moments before starting.

 _(In our version of the legend, Mother-sea was first. Because she was lonely too, she filled the emptiness above her waves with all of her favourite colours – and she created Steady-blue.)_ The next part always makes his chest hurt a little and Dean hides that from the kin-connection. _(But they were both sad because they could never touch. And Steady-blue cried until the tears made Mother-sea’s waters boil. She took all the tears and used them to create every creature – and, really, that’s kind of where my version syncs up with yours.)_

His story isn’t told in as beautiful a way as Cas did it, but he thinks he did a good enough job. But Cas just kind of looks confused. He sits there in silence for a lot longer than Dean thinks he should for such a simple little story.

Eventually, Cas lets a feeling into the kin-connection that’s bordering on an unhappy confusion. _(But which one is the true history?)_

It’s a good question, but it’s kind of a pointless one and Dean shrugs at it. _(No fin-kin alive remembers that time. Not even our keepers have memories that go that far back.)_

Cas’s frown only gets deeper. It’s a familiar kind of look that Dean knows only because Sam has it sometimes. That’s the kind of look that means Dean needs to intervene right away before Sam – or, in this case, Cas – ends up working himself into some kind of upset. _(Hey, the stories are similar enough that it shouldn’t matter.)_

_(But –)_

Nope. Dean’s not letting him get upset over this. _(Does knowing our stories are **slightly** different really change anything?)_

Cas’s lips press into a thin line and he looks away. _(Not really...)_

 _(Then it doesn’t matter.)_ He forces some cheer into the kin-connection, even if that’s a feeling he’s kind of running really low on while he’s more or less fucking _stuck here_.

His attempts at trying to distract Cas and cheer him up or something isn’t really working. Cas just shifts like he’s uncomfortable – which he probably is – and keeps on looking unhappy. Shit. Now Dean’s got a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he somehow fucked something up with this. Great. Sam trusted him to figure out shit with Cas about how to stop their Council and now he’s done – done what, exactly?

 _(Forget I said anything.)_ Dean shakes his head and looks away.

 _(No.)_ Cas grabs at the kin-connection and pulls at it to keep Dean’s attention on him. _(This is exactly what I wanted to learn about your colony when you first came to this area.)_ To Dean’s surprise, actual _appreciation_ seeps into their link. _(Thank you.)_

Dean wasn’t expecting that and he stares at Cas for a moment before getting his head back in the game. They were in the middle of some kind of conversation, weren’t they? _(We still sharing or do you need a while to wrap your head around this?)_

There’s an actual sense of hesitation in the kin-connection before Cas shakes his head again. _(It’s fine, thank you – for sharing, that is.)_ He gets himself all comfortable again. _(What else would you like to talk about now?)_

Aw _geeze_. Dean was really hoping Cas wouldn’t turn this on him like that. _(I don’t know.)_ He sighs and stretches out on his belly again so he can cross his arms and rest his chin on them. It was already hard enough for him to think up things before, but now he needs to be careful about what may or may not hold the potential of upsetting Cas too. The last thing Dean wants to do is bring up a topic that’ll make it _harder_ to be alone with him while they’re trapped here. _(You think of something.)_

Cas has a question ready like it’s exactly what he was expecting to happen. _(Do you know any fang-fin history or lore?)_

He’s actually excited about this and that makes an ironic little smile force its way out onto Dean’s face. _(More than I should, probably. I liked listening to the keepers tell all their tales to each other when I was just a little hatchling.)_

 _(How do you feel about sharing any of that with me?)_ It almost feels like he’s worried Dean is going to tell him no or something. _(I promise that I’ll share something in return, of course.)_

 _(Then I’ve got no problem with it.)_ The only problem that Dean has is trying to figure out what the fuck he’s going to tell Cas first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This fic is moving to a bi-weekly update schedule because I'm just not able to maintain a weekly update at this time. It will update on Tuesday, July 14th, and the next will be on Tuesday, July 28th, etc. This is only temporary until I can get my shit worked out and then we'll be back to normal, hopefully.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(They –)_ He hesitates again and, when Dean looks over his shoulder, Cas is staring at him with a hard look. _(Can I really trust you?)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

The days feel like they're literally crawling by and, surprisingly, Dean doesn’t hate being here as much as he thought he would. These days feel like they’re moving even slower than the snails that he found crawling around in some of the corners of the cave. Those were a nice snack to have in between all the fish that his friends have been bringing to the cave.

Between the two of them, Cas was definitely the happiest when Dean announced that they'd been found while he was poking around and exploring. Apparently Cas needed the break from the fish way more than he did. Finding the snails had Cas launching into a story about how his brother raises sweet snails on the wall around his sleep shelf because they're his favourite food ever. It had been amusing, if not a little stomach turning because _gross_.

Dean doesn't mind snails as a snack every now and then, and they were a good change from the fish, but to eat them _daily_? That's disgusting. Snails are just so – they're so ridiculously slimy. It makes him shudder to think about having them be, like, half his diet. Mother-sea, no. Dean can't wait until he can get out of here again and start eating more varied foods again.

There's just one thing going for this place now and it's the fact that he might actually be kind of sort of enjoying his time here with Cas. A little. Not as much as he would be if he was hanging out with Sam or Charlie or someone he's known or more seasons than he can remember, but he doesn't _hate_ his time here anymore. Having Cas here is better than being alone, that's for sure. Though Dean wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for Cas in the first place.

The last few days have actually been pretty damn good, from Dean's point of view. They've been talking almost non-stop from the moment they wake up to the moment when they go to sleep. Of course they talk about completely different things when the others are here, but that's the boring stuff. As much as Dean wants to do something about the fucking bastards on his Council, but there are only so many ways that they can go over ideas about how to get word out through the colony without notifying the Council about it. It feels like they're swimming circles and Dean kind of hates it.

Of course, according to Sam and the others, those are the same things that he and Cas are supposed to be talking about when they're all by themselves here. It's just so fucking _boring_ and even Cas agrees with him on that. They're both way more interested in whatever they've been talking about. So far, it's kind of been about the differences between their two colonies. Their conversations haven't even just been focused on physical differences. It's been all about their daily lives and everything in between. And the most surprising thing about it is that there aren't as many differences as Dean first thought that there would be.

Unfortunately, they've kind of come to a dead end with those topics. Which is the whole reason that Dean feels like he's bored out of his skull now. At least he cleared the rubble off of this half-column to find a place to lay over on his belly. He doesn't like being flat on a floor and this gives him a place to hang his tail down behind him and his arms over the front. This thing would be perfect if it was kind of sloped upward toward the front so he doesn’t have to prop up on his forearms if he wants to be kind of upright or something.

If his colony ever ends up settling somewhere, he’s definitely going to spend time breaking some rocks. He could take as long as he wants to shape it into the perfect resting place. That would be nice. Dig out a nice overhang somewhere close to his shaped rock that he could sleep under at night. Oh yeah, that sounds perfect. It would be even better if he could have some kelp growing right outside his overhang to obscure the opening. That way it’s not _completely_ covered and it’s still open enough for him not to feel trapped like he is here.

Okay, maybe spending his time thinking about a place he’ll never have isn’t the most uplifting of things. Not to mention that he’s _supposed_ to be thinking about things that he may or may not want to know about a bright-fin, or of things that Cas might want to know about the fang-fin. But he’s pretty sure that they’ve covered all of that already. The only things that are really left to either of them is all that personal shit that might be too close for Dean’s comfort. He’s not sure and he doesn’t want to be the first one to bring it all up. And that just leaves the stuff that’s a little too involved with fang-fin tactics. Which means that he’s pretty sure he really shouldn’t be sharing that with someone technically considered to be part of the ‘ _enemy_ ’.

Mother-sea, please don’t tell him that they’ve already run out of things to talk about. Who knows how long they’re going to be here still? If they don’t have anything else to talk about things are just going to get stupidly awkward and silent and Dean is one hundred percent certain that he might just go out of his head crazy. He’s already getting frustrated that he can’t think of anything and that’s really no way to start a conversation.

His feelings on that particular matter leak right into the kin-connection for one very good reason. Maybe if Cas knows how hard this is for Dean, then he can be the one to think of it. Cas, however, is just sitting there cool as a sea cucumber. He’s been staring at Dean the whole time that he’s been thinking, just rolling one of the snail shells around in his palm like it’s no big deal. It’s not really, but Dean _really_ needs something to talk about. The silence is killing him.

Cas is kind of a gift from Mother-sea right now. Just when Dean’s about to give up, Cas tilts his head and touches the kin-connection cautiously. It’s just a little brush of thought, but it’s definitely one and it has Dean lifting his head off his arms sharply, interest piqued. _(My mother...)_ He hesitates and the thought breaks off.

Dean’s disappointment is almost tangible and he throws it into the kin-connection, along with whatever encouragement he can haul up and add to it. If Cas wants to be the first to swim headlong into the _really_ personal stuff, then by all means, bring it on. This is something specifically about _Cas_ and his family beyond how many siblings he has and what they kind of do. This is about his _parents_ and that’s a territory neither of them has really ventured into yet.

With a sigh, Cas looks down at the shell and pinches it between his fingers. Sadness flows through the kin-connection with his thoughts and it makes Dean’s heart ache. _(My mother was killed by a shark when I was young.)_

Ow, shit. That’s sucks. Dean shares his condolences. _(I lost my parents early on too.)_ He looks down at his hands and frowns. They’re not the nicest of thoughts. _(Bobby helped me and Sam get by until we were old enough to do it ourselves.)_

Right away, Cas’s own sympathies filter into the kin-connection. He knows the feeling and it’s not the greatest of ones to have. Luckily, Cas doesn’t let them dwell on it for too long and continues with his story. _(My parents were bonded and my father went insane. He disappeared into the sea one day without telling anyone.)_

Well, fuck. That’s really not what Dean was expecting to hear. It catches him off guard and all he can do is stare for a solid minute. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before pushing a hand through his hair. _(Had to start with the heavy stuff, huh?)_

 _(I don’t have much else to start with.)_ Cas shrugs, but he doesn’t look up from the shell in his hands. _(I don’t have much else to start with – unless you’d like to hear about how boring our sentry duty is. Sorry, I’m not a very exciting fin-kin.)_

Hold up. _(Sentry duty?)_ He knows what a sentry is, but Cas is making it sound like it’s _way_ bigger than what Dean knows it as.

Cas shrugs again he glances up for a moment. _(It’s perhaps a little too deep into the working of our warriors. I don’t mind talking about myself now, but the details of my colony’s defenses are –)_

 _(Nah, don’t worry about it.)_ Dean shakes his head and gives him an easy smile. _(I get it.)_ He’s got the exact same feelings going on about that particular subject. Even if he’s sort of okay with the bright-fin now and he doesn’t exactly consider them the _enemy_ anymore, it’s not like he’s just going to spill every single fang-fin warrior secret to Cas. Dean doesn’t exactly think that Cas is gonna turn around and use it against his colony or anything, but it’s still somewhat of a possibility.

There’s silence between them for a while before Cas’s fins all flicker out slightly. He touches Dean’s mind again carefully, like he’s worried about what’s going to happen after he asks his question. _(What happened to your parents?)_

No wonder he was worried. This is really not Dean’s most favourite of conversation topics. But Cas shared with him about his parents and it’s only right that he do the same. It’s not like thinking about them isn’t always in his head anyways. _(They were killed.)_

_(By sharks?)_

His hands curl into fists, claws biting into his palms. _(By Azazel.)_ Cas flinches when Dean’s hate floods the kin-connection. _(He’s an old member of the Council.)_ That old, familiar anger is never too far and it starts bubbling up again.

Surprisingly, Cas reaches out to soothe it right away. _(Do you want to talk about it?)_ He’s giving Dean an out if he needs it. They don’t have to continue with this topic and they can move on to anything else that Dean wouldn’t be so – so _upset_ about.

The thing is, this isn’t something that he’s ever actually _needed_ to talk about before. What’s there to talk about when everyone that he knows is already well aware of what happened? But Cas doesn’t know. He doesn’t have the first clue about what Azazel really did. But – but can Dean talk to him about it? Well, of course he _can_ , but does he _want_ to? His feelings on it are pretty damn mixed. It’s a yes and a no – or possibly sitting more towards a ‘ _maybe_ ’?

Dean deliberates about it for a while. Okay – that ‘ _maybe_ ’ is floating pretty close to a ‘ _yes_ ’. Closer than it is to a ‘ _no_ ’. Might as well just go for it then. It’s about the Council, after all, and Cas should know about just how fucked up they are. He sighs and pushes himself up to flip his tail around the stump under him so he can sit on it, his end-fin sweeping back and forth on the floor a little. It’s all nerves because it’s not like he’s even opened up to _anyone_ about this.

 _(When I was born, my parents were actually on the Council.)_ Dean sighs and looks down at his hands, unfolding them before he cuts into his palms. _(They weren’t bonded or anything, but they got to know each other while on the Council together and things just kind of worked out between them. They definitely loved each other, though.)_

He looks up in time to see Cas nodding along as he listens. Dean can feel all of Dean’s attention on him. _(I told you that our colony has been on the move since before I was born, right?)_

Cas nods again, this time different from his I’m-paying-attention one. _(Yes. You said that the only time you’ve ever stayed in one place for longer than a season, aside from your current situation, was for a breeding season.)_

Yup, that sounds about right. _(Well, Sammy and I weren’t even a whole dozen seasons old when Azazel, another of the Council members, decided to start blaming mom and dad for why the colony kept moving around all the time.)_

A frown creases Cas’s forehead and a doubting confusion slips through the kin-connection. _(Were they?)_

 _(Fuck no!)_ Dean’s upper lip curls back in a snarl that isn’t aimed at Cas. _(We’ve been nomads since long before my parents were born. Even before their parents were born. But Azazel was just crazy as fuck and decided to pin it all on my parents. I don’t know if he did it just for fun, or if he had actual reasons why he picked **them** , but there are plenty of theories about it.)_

_(Do you believe in the one where he is apparently just ‘ **crazy** ’?)_

Dean shrugs and rubs the back of his neck. _(It’s the one that Bobby promised me is what actually happened. If Azazel had a different reason for it, no one actually knows it. There’d be rumors about it and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of everything already.)_

Cas tilts his head but nods anyways. He slips encouragement into the kin-connection, brushing it against Dean’s thoughts gently. _(Please continue.)_

 _(Right, so, according to Azazel, he got some kind of information from our history keepers.)_ He makes a gesture with one hand. _(The keepers won’t answer any of **my** questions when I ask them about it, but Azazel said that it was something about how one of my ancestors was the one who decided that we had to leave our original home.)_

Doubt fills their link again. _(Is that true?)_

 _(I don’t know.)_ Dean’s hands both drop to his lap and he sighs. _(All I know is that mom told me we moved because our home wasn’t ideal for us anymore. I don’t really remember what it was, but it was something like too many vents were opening up in the area, or the waters weren’t safe for us anymore, or the two-tails were getting too close to our nesting grounds.)_ He shrugs and gives Cas a hopeless look. _(But it wasn’t anyone’s **fault**. Our environment was changing and mom said the whole colony agreed that we had to move on.)_

Even though he can feel his anger growing again, Dean pushes down on it and focuses on Cas’s confusion instead. _(But I don’t understand how that is a basis for Azazel to kill your parents.)_

 _(That’s the whole point.)_ He huffs and rubs both hands over his face. Dean’s starting to get fidgety and he doesn’t like it. _(It’s **not** , but he managed to get half the colony to believe that it **was** my parents’ fault. He had everyone believe that we could have settled down at least a half dozen times, but they refused the rest of the Council’s decisions. Without a unanimous vote by the Council, a colony-wide decision like that can’t be made.)_

It might be his imagination, but Dean thinks he sees a shadow of a smile on Cas’s lips. Maybe. There’s no amusement in the kin-connection, so it might not be that specifically. _(That’s why we have a colony leader. He has the final say over all decisions after it’s been put to a vote. Our leader listens to both sides and he thinks things through very carefully before he makes his decision, since it will affect the entirety of our colony.)_

 _(What’s the point of having a Council if one guy makes all the decisions?)_ That just doesn’t make sense to him. Why have a vote if he can potentially overrule the majority ruling?

 _(He generally only uses that power in the event of a tie.)_ A sense of fondness slips through the kin-connection for a heartbeat. _(Michael is young, but he’s very wise and has never once abused the powers given to him by our colony. We trust him to make the right decisions in tough times.)_

Yeah, that’s still not really making any sense to him, but okay. It’s not like he really plans to ever _completely_ understand the bright-fin. For as similar as they are to the fang-fin, they’re still different enough that he gets confused sometimes about the things that Cas says.

Dean shrugs and shakes his head. _(It sounds like a tough job.)_

 _(It is.)_ Cas nods and that fond feeling is dragged out of the kin-connection. The thing is, Cas kind of sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. Which kind of makes Dean wonder – but he lets it go, because he’s got the rest of his story to finish. Cas must know that too because he makes a gesture at Dean. _(Please continue.)_

It’s almost kind of amusing to see how interested Cas is in this. If only they had a better subject matter to be talking about. _(Yeah, okay. So, Azazel managed to convince Abaddon – the other member of the Council – and the rest of the colony that my parents were basically going to get the whole colony killed. He basically turned the entire colony against my mom and dad. Fuck that, they were against my entire bloodline. We’re luck it was already down to just our little nest as it was. It’s a freakin’ **miracle** that Sam and me are even still here.)_

Cas frowns and concern echoes through their link. _(Why is that –? Would your colony really have tried to hurt **children**?)_

 _(Who knows?)_ Dean shrugs and shakes his head. _(Azazel basically called for our parents to be exiled. I know I say that they’re dead, but we don’t actually know what happened to them.)_ It’s just easier to think of them as dead instead of just being _out there_ somewhere, alone, and without him and Sammy.

Disbelief echoes through the kin-connection and Cas shakes his head slowly. _(How could anyone have actually believed –)_

 _(I don’t know.)_ A grim laugh rumbles in Dean’s chest. _(But they did. The entire colony believed him and Azazel got the entire colony to throw my parents off the Council. Alistair and Lilith took their places and then the Council decided that the best choice of action was to exile them.)_

 _(But not you and Sam?)_ Cas’s displeasure at the entire situation is pinging back and forth through the kin-connection and it’s almost as strong as what Dean is used to feeling from his friends or family. It means that Cas actually _cares_ and that would be unbelievable if Dean wasn’t feeling it for himself.

He forces himself to stay focused on answering the question – as opposed to getting distracted by Cas’s earnest and completely weird as fuck caring. _(Weirdly enough, no. They claimed that we were young enough to be **fixed** so we wouldn’t make the same mistakes they did.)_ And it turns his stomach to realize that they almost _did_ make him their little _fixed_ puppet. _(But at least no one challenged my parents to a death duel.)_

Shock flashes through the kin-connection so sharply that Dean actually flinches because of it. _(A **what**?)_

At this point, Dean kind of doesn’t want to answer. He gets the feeling that Cas isn’t going to like this and that it’s just another thing that the fang-fin have that the bright-fin don’t. But he’s got to answer and he does it cautiously, fully prepared for Cas to flip his shit. _(It’s a fight to the death.)_

 _(Well, I **figured**.) _ Cas snaps, baring his fangs as disgust flickers into their link. _(But you – how can you actually **have** those? It’s so – it’s barbaric!)_

Dean isn’t too fond of that particular part of their traditions, but he wouldn’t exactly call it _barbaric_. That’s just rude. Plus, it’s how he’s always lived. It’s not like Dean really knows any different. Whatever. He’s not going to let Cas chew him out for this anymore. If he just keeps up the story, Cas won’t be able to keep tearing into him for being a _barbarian_ , apparently.

 _(After it was decided they were going to be exiled, it was kind of like one day mom and dad were there, and the next they weren’t.)_ And just like his anger, that familiar ache surfaces in his chest and Dean presses his palm to it out of habit. It’s not like that’s going to really do anything to stop it. _(Then it was just me and Sam in our nest. Bobby took us under his fin and finished raising us as best he could – ended up doing the same with Jo when him and Ellen joined nests.)_

Once again, Cas lets more into the kin-connection then Dean is expecting. It’s a deep sadness that’s different than what Dean’s felt from him before – sympathetic, but not pity. _(Your parents didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye?)_

Dean shakes his head but uses Cas’s emotions to comfort himself. _(They came back to our nest in the middle of the night. Sam and I were half asleep when they said goodbye. I barely remember it.)_ His nose stings at the thought and Dean pushes back against it. He doesn’t want to cry. Not here and not in front of Cas – no matter how much these memories hurt him.

The small smile that barely edges onto Cas’s lips only hurts Dean more. _(It’s nice that you had that, at least.)_ And at first Dean almost doesn’t know what he means, but then it all makes sense. Cas never got to say goodbye to his parents.

This just got really awkward and pretty depressing. Cas looks so sad that Dean can’t really stand looking at him right now. He stares down at his hands and he doesn’t know what the fuck he should say. Is there really anything the he _can_ say? There’s nothing that he can think of to say to help Cas stop being sad, or to stop himself, really. Because the only thing he can think of right now is that he hates not knowing what happened to his parents.

Bobby has told him time and time again that even though the Council said that he and Sam could stay because they were so young, mom and dad never tried to bring them along with them. It always stings when Dean thinks about how they _chose_ to leave them behind, but he knows why they did it. Dean and Sam were too young and the chances of them surviving out there without an entire colony to help watch over them would have been slim to none.

It was simple fact that the two of them had way better chances here in the colony – even though it meant that they didn’t have their parents with them. And the only thing that’s kind of really any sort of solace to Dean is the idea that at least mom and dad weren’t alone out there. Even though it’s pretty unlikely, it’s also possible that they’re alive out there somewhere. Maybe they managed to find another colony out there that wasn’t as shitty as the fang-fin apparently are. Or maybe it’s just them and they’re living out there alone together.

Unlikely, but at least Dean can _hope_ , right?

Thankfully, Cas is the one who breaks the silence between them. _(What happened to Azazel? To my knowledge, he’s not on your Council anymore.)_

This is Dean’s favourite part of the story. _(Dead.)_

Satisfaction pulses into the kin-connection, and then Cas hides it right away like it’s something he’s embarrassed to be feeling right now. He shifts and clears his head before asking another question, his thoughts serious. _(Did you –?)_

 _(I wish.)_ And Dean has never been more sincere. He laughs, but it’s short and humourless. _(That bastard got done in by his own pride.)_ For Cas’s sake, he doesn’t go into detail, but he does share an image of a giant squid in the kin-connection.

Amusement flickers back at him in response. _(Yes, that will do it.)_

Dean laughs again, but this time there’s actually a little bit of humour to it. And now it’s his favourite part of the story – the end. _(Now I’m done sharing. It’s your turn.)_ He crosses his arms and tilts his head to pin Cas with an expectant look, anticipation all but _brimming_ in their link. _(With how much I just spilled for you, you better be giving me something good now.)_

That doesn’t seem to catch Cas as off guard as Dean was hoping it would. Honestly, he actually seems kind of _prepared_ for this. He must have known this was going to be what Dean would want after his story was over. That cheeky bastard, trying to anticipate him. Granted, they’ve been quid pro quo-ing it for the last few days so it’s not that big of a gap to fill to realize it.

Cas spends very little time thinking about where he’s going to start with whatever he’s planning on telling. He tilts his head and there’s a brief hesitate before he starts. _(I believe I’ve told you that I have four brothers and one sister, correct?)_ Dean nods. _(Good. My sister’s name is Anna and, like me, she is in charge of her own garrison.)_ Pride fills the kin-connection, drowning out that longing feeling Cas always gets when he thinks about his siblings.

 _(Impressive.)_ It really is. From what Dean can tell from what he and Cas have sort of discussed, it sounds like they both kind of hold similar positions in their own colonies – more or less. Which means that Cas is way stronger than Dean first thought he was. _(What about your other siblings? Are they as leader-ly inclined as the two of you?)_

Apparently that somehow makes Cas laugh. He gets all sorts of amusement from it and it takes him a moment to actually explain that. _(My brother Balthazar thinks being in charge of anything is too much work for him, so he hasn’t made the effort to be promoted to lead the garrison that he’s a part of.)_

And that is when Dean realizes that Cas is carefully avoiding sharing images of what his siblings look like. It’s not surprising, really, but it kind of stings. It makes sense that Cas doesn’t exactly trust him. He doesn’t want Dean to know what their positions are _and_ what they look like. That way, it’s not like Dean could ever use that knowledge against him somehow – like, for example, selling that information to the Council to save his own skin.

It _is_ a good idea, but it still rubs Dean’s scales the wrong way. Dean wants to know what Cas’s family looks like so he can keep an eye out for them on the battlefield. He’s got a tentative not-quite-friendship and Dean doesn’t want to make it worse by one of his kin taking down one of Cas’s siblings.

And that’s why Dean doesn’t feel too badly about interrupting whatever he was planning on saying next. _(Cas, I’m done fighting the bright-fin. I want to **help** you and your colony **beat** mine.)_ He pours every little bit of sincerity and honesty that he’s gone in his body right into the kin-connection, hoping that somehow he’ll be able to convince Cas to just – just _trust_ him with more than just himself.

Cas looks away, staring back down at his hands. It takes a little longer for him to answer. _(I know.)_

But that’s not the answer Dean wants. He almost feels kind of _desperate_ about this. _(What do I have to do to make you trust me?)_ Right now, that’s kind of in the top five list of things that Dean really wants right now – which is pretty unexpected for him.

 _(I – I don’t know.)_ He still doesn’t look up, but he does shrug. _(I’m sorry, but I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to fully trust you.)_

Fuck. Dean wilts in place, shoulders hunching. _(I guess I’ve done too much shit for that, huh?)_

Again, Cas shrugs. He shifts back and forth slowly and puts all the shells he’s had in his lap aside. Well, isn’t this just a wonderful bag of fish? Now even Dean is having trouble looking at him too. Suddenly his hands are way more interesting than anything else in the cave. Mother-sea, help him, if it’s not possible for him to win Cas’s trust, then what else is he supposed to do?

Dean sighs and rubs a hand through his hair out of a nervous habit. _(I’m not asking for your forgiveness, you know?)_

 _(I’m not sure I’m even capable of that either.)_ The kin-connection is starting to narrow as Cas starts pulling more and more of his emotions and thoughts from it. _(I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you for what you’ve done.)_ He looks up slightly, the flexi-fans on the sides of his head are drooped kind of low. _(I try not to think about it.)_

Before Dean can say anything back, Cas looks away again and picks up one of the fish bones scattered around him and starts twiddling it back and forth between his fingers. _(But I – You should know that I **have** enjoyed the conversations that we’ve had the last few days.)_ A soft, almost _friendly_ feeling slinks into the kin-connection slowly. It’s a hesitating kind of touch that has Dean’s insides feeling like he’s swimming free in the wide open. _(And, if it’s any consolation, I do – I am – I mean –)_ Cas shifts awkwardly again and shakes his head. _(I like you much more now than when you first came to the cave.)_

Okay, wow. Dean was _not_ expecting that. And he sure as fuck wasn’t expecting that little bit of information to make him feel so – so damn _happy_. There isn’t much else in the kin-connection right now, especially from Cas, but Dean would like to think that it’s just because he’s embarrassed. He kinds of gets the feeling that Cas isn’t big on opening up to people that aren’t his family. Honestly, it kind of sounds like they’re the only ones that he’s _really_ close to.

This moment right now is probably the happiest that Dean has been since his friends decided that it would be a good idea to close him up in this cave too. It even makes him _smile_ – which hasn’t really been something he’s been doing very often lately. His smile is actually bright and happy for the first time in way too long. When’s the last time he was happy to have someone _like_ him? Maybe it’s only making him this happy because it’s kind of the same for him too? He _does_ like Cas a lot more now than he did when he snuck in here – if going from wanting to kill him to wanting to keep him alive is any indication.

You know what? That kind of sounds like something that Cas would want to hear. Dean gathers up that whole feeling and slides that into the kin-connection slowly. It might not be something Cas wants to feel from someone like him, so he’s kind of doing it carefully. If he does it slow enough, then he should be able to pull it back before Cas feels _too_ much. And that way, he can avoid making Cas feel too uncomfortable or something.

Cas’s eyes get a little wider and the flexi-fins on his head twitch up, spreading out. He’s definitely surprised, that’s for sure, but there’s happiness slip sliding right alongside that surprise. And then Cas looks away and his fins fold down again. The ruffled ones running down the sides of his tail are rippling in a way Dean hasn’t seen them do before and he wonders if that’s a tell for something. Maybe it means that he’s _really_ embarrassed? Either way, it’s pretty damn adorable.

Dean is starting to feel a little giddy about it and he wants to do something for Cas. Maybe he could find some more snails or something else for Cas to snack on. He slips off the column stump and starts drifting along the walls of cave, pelting every little crevasse with echoes. _(So, that’s two siblings down. What about the other three?)_

 _(They –)_ He hesitates again and, when Dean looks over his shoulder, Cas is staring at him with a hard look. _(Can I really trust you?)_

 _(Yeah, Cas. Of course you can.)_ Dean nods again, more honest and serious than he’s been in a really long time. _(I’m not going to tell anyone anything that you haven’t told me I can share. I won’t even tell Sammy if you don’t want me to.)_ And that’s the best promise Dean can give because he usually tells Sam just about everything.

Cas holds his eyes for a ridiculously long time before he sighs and sits back against the wall again. He nods and the kin-connection opens just a little more than it was before. It opens with _trust_ and Dean practically grins at it.

_(My other three brothers are Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel.)_

And there goes Dean’s smile. One of those names sounds familiar and he’s pretty sure Cas said it earlier. But back then he was talking about the bright-fin’s leader. They’re not the same fin-kin, are they? No, that would be ridiculous. What are the chances that the bright-fin Sam supposedly ‘ _captured_ ’ was –

_(And all of them are on the Council.)_

Son of a _bitch_. Dean’s chest suddenly feels too tight and he turns around to face Cas fully. He’s not serious, is he? Of course he is. It’s plain as day in the kin-connection. Cas wouldn’t be feeling this kind of pride for his siblings if it wasn’t true.

 _(Michael took the position of colony leader after our father disappeared. It’s a position kept by the bloodline and handed down to the firstborn of every nest – unless they don’t want it.)_ Cas shrugs and another small smile is on his lips. _(If Michael had refused it, the position would have gone to Lucifer, then to Gabriel, then Balthazar, Anna, or me. And if none of us would have wanted it – well, I’m sure it would have gone to one of our cousins, but I don’t believe that’s ever actually happened before.)_

Nope. Dean can’t wrap his head around this. This has got to be some kind of horrible joke. _( **What**?)_

Mother-sea, _fuck_. This is way worse than Dean first thought it was. Cas isn’t joking and this is – _Shit_. Half the fucking bright-fin Council is related to Cas. How long has he been here now? It’s, like, twice as long as Dean’s been here, right? His family probably thinks that he’s dead by now. They have to. Otherwise, if they knew that he was alive and _here_ , they’d probably think he was a – a – a _prisoner of war_. Shit. _Fuck_.

Up until this point, the bright-fin have been focused on merely holding the fang-fin off. There’s been minimal loss on the fang-fin side of things and it’s not because they’re good. It’s because the bright-fin have actively been trying to _not_ kill anyone. Dean’s not blind. He saw it on the battlefield and he just – he did his best not to think about it, to pretend that he didn’t notice it. But this – this isn’t something he can just pretend isn’t happening.

Cas’s fucking family is part of the _Council_. If they learned that Cas is here and he’s _alive_ , they might go all out. And if a bright-fin actually started _trying_ , then they actually hold the potential to wipe the fang-fin from the ocean floor. Dean can’t allow that. He might hate his own Council, but he’s pretty damn sure that most of the colony doesn’t know the real reason for this war. Half the colony barely tolerates him, but there are still other fin-kin here that he likes. He’s got friends here. He’s got _family_ here. They might not be blood, but Dean can’t let anything happen to them.

 _(I need to go.)_ Dean abandons his search for new snacks and heads straight for the opening to the cave.

A brief flash of horror bounces through the kin-connection. _(Excuse me?)_

 _(I need to tell Sam about this.)_ He stops short of reaching the exit as betrayal stabs into their link. Shit, that’s right. He promised that he wouldn’t tell anyone what Cas told him because he wants Cas to trust him. Leaving now would be breaking that trust. Shit. _(No, Cas, it’s not because of that. I need to – They need to know about this because we need to get you the fuck out of here. The faster we get you home, the better.)_ Dean looks Cas over from head to tail. _(You’re almost healed up, right?)_

Cas’s horror and that betrayed feeling dry up immediately. His mouth is open and he’s staring at Dean with all his fins flared out wide. _(I – what? I mean, yes?)_

He looks down at his tail as he curls it up so he can touch that circular flexi-fin at the end of it. From where Dean is floating, he can see that the rips in them are a lot shorter than they were when Dean first got here. The longest one isn’t even as long as half his finger.

 _(I don’t want to risk this.)_ Cas traces the edges of the rip. _(I could probably glide by rippling my adipose finds, but I shouldn’t – I would love to leave sooner rather than later, but **why**?)_

Dean shakes his head and drifts closer to the exit. _(I’m probably blowing this out of proportion –)_ He’s not. _(– but you’re more than just a garrison leader. We can’t risk the safety of my own colony so we can keep you here just to **talk**.) _ This just got way bigger than either of them. _(I’m going to try and find Sam. Just – you just stay put for now.)_

 _(I’m not going to try to escape, Dean.)_ Cas’s thoughts are calm, for the most part, but there’s panic dancing along the edges. He probably doesn’t want to be left alone again and Dean doesn’t blame him. All that quiet is just too fucking unnerving.

 _(I’ll be back as soon as I can.)_ Dean doesn’t think twice about reaching out and soothing that panic away. _(And I’ll hold the kin-connection with you for as far as it will go, okay?)_

Even though Cas nods, he still doesn’t look or feel happy about this. It’s understandable and Dean kind of hates having to leave him like this, but it’s necessary. The others need to know this _now_ because this is the kind of information that changes everything. There are good and bad things about this. The bad things are what Dean is focusing on right now because there’s the safety of those he cares about at hand. He can think about all the good things that could come of this _after_ he’s taken care of the rest.

It’s only been a handful of days since he came here, but Dean still kind of remembers the tunnel layout. Sorta. Okay, no not really. If it wasn’t for the subtle scent of fresh water that he catches every so often, he probably wouldn’t know which way to go. Of course he still gets turned around in places and has to backtrack, but it was pretty much expected since he doesn’t know where the fuck he’s actually going.

Finally, Dean reaches the last cave and his stomach sinks when the boulder blocking his way out reflects back in his echoes. _Shit_. He forgot all about that in the heat of the moment. Now what the fuck is he supposed to do?

 _(I was wondering how long it would take you to remember that.)_ Cas’s voice in the kin-connection is distant and strained, but it’s all sorts of amused.

Dean groans and circles the cave, eyeing up the boulder. _(Yeah, well, you could have reminded me **before** I came all this way.)_

 _(Where would be the fun in that?)_ He really is getting joy out of this and it’s radiating through their link. It’s hard to be upset with Cas when he’s actually being happy. _(Now what are you going to do?)_

Well, he’s got one idea. It’s not a good one, but he can try it. Dean backs up as far from the boulder as he can get – even back down part of a tunnel just to stay in line with it. He needs as much space as he can get if he wants to gain any amount of speed. When he smacks his tail against the wall to dart forward, Dean knows he’s not going at top speed. But it’s better than nothing. He curves his shoulder and slams into the boulder, hoping that it’ll be enough to push it out of the way.

For one short moment, Dean thinks he’s managed it. The boulder rocks in place, but then his hopes sing again. It doesn’t move and now he’s out of options – other than trying again, of course. It’s probably going to be a long while yet before the others come back with the evening’s batch of food. They were here this morning and that feels like forever ago. But Dean can’t wait that long. He needs to let them know about this _now_ – plus he’ll feel like an idiot if he has to go back to Cas’s cave without being able to do what he left to do.

After the fifth attempt of body-slamming the rock, Cas pokes him through the kin-connection almost hard enough to actually cause pain. _(If you keep that up, you’re going to hurt you yourself before you ever get out of here.)_

 _(That’s not going to happen.)_ He’s all muscle and fat and awesomeness. Dean can tough this out.

 _(It will happen, I assure you.)_ Cas insists, tugging at Dean’s mind more. _(Just come back here and wait until the others arrive. It shouldn’t be too long now.)_

 _(You don’t know that.)_ Dean shakes his head as if that will get Cas to stop being so annoying. _(I kinda need to concentrate here. Could you keep it down for a moment?)_

Annoyance whips through their link. _(Concentrate to do what? Hurt yourself? I hardly think that’s a good use of your concentration.)_

There’s a snappy comeback just ready to be thrown right back at him, but Dean forgets it the instant another mind touches his. He’d recognize Jess’s thoughts anywhere and he opens to her confused touch with relief because Cas was kind of right. His arm and shoulder are going to be absolutely _covered_ in bruises for the next day or so. But Cas doesn’t need to know that.

 _(Dean?)_ Jess’s worry is thick while she drags his mind close and examines what Dean lets her. _(What are you doing? We just saw the boulder move. That was you?)_

 _(No, it was a shark. Yes, it’s me.)_ He crosses the cave and presses his hands to the stone. _(Now that you’re here, help me move this thing.)_

Bobby and Ellen touch his mind too and they’re both just as confused as Jess is. Ellen, however, is more than just a little concerned too. _(What happened? Are you and Castiel alright?)_

 _(We’re fine.)_ Dean’s tail churns the water while he tries pushes against the rock. _(But were any of you actually aware of just **who** Cas is?)_

 _(What’s that supposed to mean?)_ Bobby is starting to get concerned too, but for different reasons than

They’re still not helping and Dean’s frustration is starting to climb. _(It means that he’s the **baby brother** of **half** the fucking bright-fin Council, Bobby!)_ And speaking as a big brother himself, he knows exactly what he’d be doing if it was Sam being held by someone he considered to be an enemy. He’d raze the entire ocean just to get him back. _(And that **includes** the leader of the **entire** fucking colony.)_

His answer is silence, but the kin-connection echoes with shock in triplicate. It takes Jess a while to get her thoughts straight enough for an answer. _(He – Cas never told us that. Honestly, I didn’t even know that he **had** siblings.)_

Of course not. Obviously they had the best of intentions and everything, but it’s not like they actually stopped and talked to Cas about _himself_ instead of just this whole business with the war. Sure, it’s a huge and important thing, but they can’t expect Cas to just share shit about himself without good reason so it’s their own damn fault here.

 _(Yeah, well, Cas has siblings and we need to get him home as soon as we fucking can, got it?)_ He grunts and gives another shove at the rock. _(So can you start actually **moving** this thing?)_

 _(Are – are you sure?)_ Jess doesn’t sound like she thinks this is as big of a deal as it is. And that’s because she’s the youngest in her nest too, damn it. Of course _she_ wouldn’t get it. _(We haven’t even figured out how to stop –)_

Dean groans and pushes away from the rock for a quick, angry lap around this small cave. _(We can worry about that **later** , Jess. We can’t take the risk of keeping Cas here any longer.)_

 _(Calm your scales there, kid.)_ Ellen shuts them all up by overpowering every voice in the kin-connection, including Cas’s – though he’s been entirely quiet through all of this. It helps that Dean hasn’t shared anything with him. All he needs to know is that the others are here. _(Listen, Dean, this is something that requires all of us, okay. We’ll move the rock enough to pass you dinner and then we’ll take the news back to the others so we can figure out what to do. How does that sound?)_

Honestly? It sounds like it’s going to take a fucking _long time_. And time isn’t really something he wants to be wasting right now. But it’s not like he really has any choice in this matter. _(Fine. But talk fast.)_

 _(He’s been here for so long and they haven’t done anything already, so it’s not really that big of a deal, is it?)_ Jess sounds so confused, Mother-sea bless her heart. She’s practically family, so Dean will take it easy on her this time.

 _(Yes, Jess, it’s a pretty big deal. Seriously.)_ He makes sure she knows it in the kin-connection, trying to get across just how important of a thing this is. _(We’re getting Cas out of here **tonight** , if we can.)_

Maybe Bobby or Ellen says something else, because Jess relents pretty easily – even if she doesn’t really seem to actually believe it either. _(Alright, alright.)_

Dean is back at the rock in a heartbeat the moment he hears the scrape of it being pushed back. But they only move it far enough to let Bobby reach through and hand a bag of fish through the crack. It’s disappointing, but they probably did it to make sure that Dean doesn’t end up escaping. Fine. If they’re going to play it like that, then Dean can at least _try_ and make them realize just how fucking important this is – and the best person to understand that is Bobby. Or Ellen, actually, because she has Jo.

To his credit, Bobby doesn’t flinch when Dean grabs his wrist and pulls him close enough that he can meet him eye to eye through the crack in the cave entrance. _(If you need to convince anyone, I want you to remind everyone about what would happen if things were reversed and it was **my** little brother that the bright-fin were keeping from me.)_

If anyone is going to get that, it’s Bobby, and sure enough a grim understanding filters into the kin-connection. He knows better than anyone exactly what Dean would do for Sammy. There have been too many fights and scars over the years for Bobby to ever doubt him about that.

Once he’s sure that he’s understood, Dean lets go and turns away. He cuts the kin-connection with them too because at this point there’s no reason he should have it. They’re just going to be turning around and leaving the moment the rock is back in place anyways. Besides, Cas is probably hungry. Snails aren’t really all that filling.

Speaking of Cas – he’s exactly where he left him. _(You didn’t even try to escape, huh?)_

 _(There was little point in trying.)_ Cas brushes imaginary dirt from his lap and tries not to look like he’s being a smug bitch about this. _(But the entrance is still blocked, isn’t it?)_

 _(Well, **yeah**.)_ Dean drifts across the cave to drop the bag into Cas’s hands. He can have first pick for being such a trooper and putting up with all this fishshit that he’s had to go through.

For his consideration, Dean gets a trickle of appreciation in the kin-connection while Cas picks the knot in the bag open. _(Did you expect me to try and fight my way out regardless of the exit being blocked and being outnumbered by my supposed captors?)_

Not really, but this situation is getting a little heavy for Dean’s liking and he should probably try for some kind of joke to lighten it up a little. _(Yeah, I kinda did.)_ He even throws in a smile too, hoping it helps.

All he gets is a slight amusement in the kin-connection as Cas shakes his head.  He takes a few fish out of the bag before surprise bounces into the link. Dean swims a little closer, curious and then disappointed to find that it’s only a clam shell tied closed with kelp. Oh, it’s more healing salve for the rips in his tail. Cas smiles at it before putting the shell aside and holding the bag out to Dean to pick out his own dinner.

_(Even injured, I’m fairly sure that I could still beat you in a fight.)_

Hold on. What now? Dean must have heard that wrong. _(Oh really?)_ He raises both eyebrows and bites back a laugh. Though he’s not quick enough and a small snort manages to escape him. _(Care to put that to the test?)_

 _(Not particularly.)_ Cas shrugs and takes a bite out of one of the fish, acting all nonchalant and smug and oh, Dean wants to wipe that look off his face just so they can have something to do.

_(Afraid?)_

_(Hungry, actually.)_ If he wasn’t eating, Cas would probably be outright grinning right now. Probably. If that’s something that he’s even capable of. Dean’s barely ever seen him actually _smile_ , let alone _grin_.

Dean rolls his eyes and pulls one of his own fish out of the bag. _(Yeah, yeah. Eat it up.)_ He pulls one out and already he can feel a stinging in the back of his throat. Fuck yes, he’s hungry. Sorta. More upset than anything and that makes him want to eat. _(Hey, so, you know what my conversation with Jess and the others was about, right?)_

 _(I wasn’t listening, if that’s what you’re asking.)_ Cas starts in on his second fish, but he’s watching Dean carefully. _(But I understand that my connection to the Council is of importance and you want me to go home because of it.)_

 _(Yup, that’s about it.)_ But there’s hesitation in the kin-connection and Dean frowns at it. _(What’s wrong? You don’t want to go home?)_

Cas just shakes his head and looks down at his lap. _(Of course I want to go home. That’s all I’ve wanted for the last two rotations.)_ He’s still hesitating and now he’s looking down at the end of his tail. Dean pumps the kin-connection full of encouragement until he continues. _(But – I’m not sure how I’m going to swim. I don’t feel comfortable trying to do that yet.)_

 _(We’ll figure something out.)_ Dean shakes his head and sits on his column stump again. _(Besides, getting you back to your home is a better thing than you know. With what you’ve learned here about us, you’d be a bigger help at stopping this war there then you would be trapped here.)_ These are the good things that Dean didn’t stop to think about before. _(Oh geeze, you could maybe even arrange for me – no, probably one of the others is better – to meet with your Council and we could get your whole colony in on stopping **my** Council. So, yeah, we definitely need to get you back **now**.)_

It’s not surprising that the kin-connection starts burning with joy. That happiness is so bright and there’s just so _much_ of it that Dean damn near has to withdraw from it to keep himself from being scalded by it. He’s been here for several days now and he’s barely even felt a fraction of this kind of emotions from Cas. It’s – it’s new, and unexpected. And it’s kind of _really_ awesome.

And the most surprising thing about it? Dean almost kind of maybe wants to find ways to have Cas feel like that _all_ the time. And that’s not just surprising – that’s a little bit terrifying too and he has no idea what the fuck he should do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to too many problems with my schedule at the moment, I'm switching to bi-weekly updates until I'm able to work it all out. The next chapter will be out on Tuesday July 28th. Sorry, guys! ♥


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When that time comes and goes and none of the rebels have shown up yet, Castiel touches Dean’s thoughts carefully. _(They might come during the night. We should get some sleep before then.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

After two long rotations, Castiel is finally going home. He hasn’t felt this happy in – in _ages_. Honestly, he can’t remember the last time he was this happy. Most definitely it would have been before the war at the least. And he doesn’t bother hiding his joy from the kin-connection. Dean should be aware of just how happy his efforts have made him. In fact, they both could use a little happiness in their lives right now. Even if it’s only Castiel’s delight, he still feels that Dean should share in it.

Honestly, though, the last two rotations haven’t been _that_ bad despite how he has technically been ‘ _captured_ ’. The first rotation was extremely lonely, seeing as how he was the only one here while his ‘ _captors_ ’ came and went on their own schedule. And his second rotation was spent in the unlikely company of Green-eyes, or _Dean_ as he’s come to know him. Surprisingly, despite Dean’s terrifying reputation on the battlefield, and despite Castiel’s dislike for almost everything that he’s done, Dean has actually been rather good company.

At first, Castiel would have taken the loneliness over spending time with _Green-eyes_. But now he’s rather glad to have him here. They’ve had some fairly interesting conversations in recent days and those were pretty entertaining. And Castiel does prefer having company over being alone. It just took time to get used to that company being one of his most vicious of enemies – one who has turned out to be _much_ different than the reputation he’s cultivated for himself.

Oddly enough, Dean doesn’t seem to mind that Castiel has killed a few of his kin over the course of the war. They’re memories that Castiel despises and it makes his stomach turn every time he thinks about how he’s killed – even if it was to save his own life or the life of one of his colony-kin. Death is apparently so ingrained in the fang-fin culture that grudges over it aren’t held for long – if at all. It is not the same for the bright-fin and Castiel is a little less forgiving. He’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to forgive Dean for the lives that he’s taken, but it does help to know that Dean wasn’t aware of the entire situation and that he was only doing what he thought he had to do.

Castiel watches Dean through the rest of the day, wondering what the future will hold for the both of them now. Dean will return to his colony with a fabricated excuse for his absence and Castiel will return to his with a story that will change the course of this war from the bright-fin’s side for certain. But what will happen to _them_? Will Castiel ever see Dean again, aside from on the battlefield? Will Dean continue fighting or will he go straight for his Council the moment that he’s free from this cave? If they ever meet again, will Castiel be able to forgive him? What about after the war is over?

There are just so many questions, but Castiel doesn’t think Dean holds the answers to them. Not yet, at least. Besides, he already seems rather agitated. It would be best not to trouble him with questions he can’t answer yet – or ever. At least Castiel’s happiness over being able to go home soon appears to be somewhat soothing to him. Even though he’s swimming back and forth around the cave, every time Castiel’s joy brushes against his mind, Dean’s answering feelings always contain some form of gratitude. And regardless of his own restless state, Dean still manages to maintain any conversation that Castiel starts while they wait for evening to come.

When that time comes and goes and none of the rebels have shown up yet, Castiel touches Dean’s thoughts carefully. _(They might come during the night. We should get some sleep before then.)_

 _(There’s no way I could sleep right now.)_ Dean shakes his head and swims to a stop by the entrance to their cavern. _(Go ahead and rest. We’re only going to be able to take you so far before you’ll have to make the rest of the swim on your own. You’ll need your strength for that.)_

After two rotations of barely moving, that will be quite the endeavor for him. Castiel sighs and curls up in his corner, watching as Dean seats himself on the cave floor where he is. He doesn’t point out that if Dean is going to accompany him for most of the trip home, he’ll need to be rested too. His trip is going to be twice as long because he’ll have to swim back afterwards. With the way the edges of Dean’s mind keeps trembling, it’s obvious that he won’t be able to get any sleep any time soon no matter what Castiel says to him.

He’s brooding silently right up until Castiel falls asleep. A rotation ago, Castiel wouldn’t have been able to sleep as soundly as he does with Green-eyes on the other side of the cave from him. It’s strange what a difference just a few days can bring. Castiel not only trusts Dean not to hurt him, but he knows that Dean will wake him if anything happens. He _trusts_ him. It may not be forgiveness, but it’s more than either of them likely ever thought Dean would get from him.

*

When Dean shakes him awake in the middle of the night, Castiel barely has the wits about him to stop himself from lashing out. It would have been entirely reflex and he’s sure that Dean would understand if he had, but at least Castiel stops just short of actually taking a sharp-clawed strike at him. No one has touched him in two rotations and he’s left with the odd feeling of wanting more and being caught in an odd almost uncomfortable place.

Immediately, Castiel notices that they’re not alone. Sam and Jess are floating behind Dean, the dark in their eyes retracting as his glow brightens. Castiel makes the kin-connection with them and yawns as his stretches. His greetings slip into the kin-connection in the same instance and they return them immediately. Both of them seem more on edge then he’s used to seeing, and Castiel wonders if it’s because of the situation at hand.

Before he can asks, Dean’s thoughts are elbowing their way into his mind. He’s not wasting any time with staying here in the cave for much longer. _(I have a solution for your end-fin.)_

The words he uses are unfamiliar, but the image in the kin-connection clears up any confusion. Castiel still feels the need to correct him. _(We call it an **end-fan**.)_

 _(Yeah, okay. That. I have a solution for that.)_ He rolls his eyes and holds up a handful of kelp that Castiel had been refraining from asking about yet. Any sarcasm in his expression melts away immediately. _(Are you gonna be okay with me touching your tail for this?)_

Perhaps it’s the fact that Castiel just woke up, or perhaps it’s something else. Confusion echoes through the kin-connection. He narrows his eyes at Dean in a wary squint, waiting for an actual explanation.

Dean sighs and sinks a little. _(I promise that I’ll be careful and I won’t make anything worse for your end-fan.)_ He looks down at the floor. _(I know you don’t want to be touched, but –)_

 _(I don’t mind being touched.)_ It all depends on the fin-kin doing it, of course.

 _(Yeah, but that’s by a fin-kin who isn’t **me** and aren’t a **fang-fin** , right?) _His thoughts are flat and humourless and Castiel has no answer to give him because yes that’s fairly obvious. Dean shakes his head. _(I understand, Cas. I really do. I just want to help right now, okay? We’re all ready to leave.)_ He gestures over his shoulder at Sam and Jess.

Castiel leans around him to give them a way. _(Are you safe to be here? No one is going to notice your absence during the night?)_

Jess shrugs and shakes her head. _(All of us are here and the others are waiting outside. This cave is already small enough without a dozen bodies filling it, don’t you think?)_

He nods in agreement and mentally counts how many rebels he knows. If there are really that many here, he’ll be surprised. _(How did all of you manage to sneak away?)_

A wide grin spreads across Sam’s lips, baring all his fangs in a terrifying smile. _(We convinced Dean’s temporary replacement that we wanted to go look for him. After all, we’re Dean’s closest friends and family. It’s been enough days that it doesn’t seem weird that we’re worried about him and that we want to go looking for him. That way, it’s not going to be too suspicious when we return and he’s with us.)_

Castiel is actually impressed by how well thought out their plan is. He may be sleepy, but he’s sure that even like this he would be able to think of something wrong with it if there was one. His praise slides through the kin-connection without obstruction. _(You’re thought of everything.)_

 _(We had to.)_ Jess’s thoughts are somber and she shares a look with Sam. It’s no surprise, really. If they made a mistake, it could cost all of them their lives.

Speaking of which, the longer that they’re all gone, the larger the danger grows. Castiel looks to Dean, ready to get things over with so they can finally leave. _(And what’s your plan for my end-fan?)_

 _(It’s going to require me touching you. Are you okay with that?)_ Dean looks back at Sam. _(I could get one of them to do it, if you want? I just don’t think you’ll be able to get it done properly on your own.)_

Can he allow that, though? Castiel doesn’t know. On one hand, he wants to get out of here. On the other, it requires letting someone who isn’t family or a lifelong friend touch him. But one of those outweighs the other and Castiel nods slowly, hesitating as he uncurls his tail and holds it out to Dean. The half-circles of his end-fan hang limply on either side of his tail. A portion of his waking concentration has been focused on keeping the edges from getting rigid to allow him to scoop the water as he swims. It’s unnatural to have it be limp _all_ the time and Castiel can hardly wait for when he’ll be able to stretch his unused muscles again.

Dean sits on the bend of his tail and his fingers are gentle as he guides the end of Castiel’s tail into his lap. A shiver runs along Castiel’s spine at the touch. His hands curl into fists in his own lap as he forces himself not to react to the touch. It feels different from the times that he’s had healers or family members touch the adipose of his fins. He doesn’t know _how_ it’s different, but it is and he can’t decide if it’s a good or bad feeling.

Castiel watches intently as Dean carefully takes one side of his end-fan and folds it over the other half. He looks up as he keeps wrapping the soft fin around the end of Castiel’s tail. _(This doesn’t hurt you?)_

 _(No.)_ He shakes his head, though his lips twist in a frown. _(It feels weird to have them folded like this, but it doesn’t hurt. All of my fins are very flexible, except for my side-fans and back-fans. The spines in them only let them move certain ways.)_ To prove his point, Castiel concentrates on making his side-fans fold out and spread, then narrow quickly. At the same time, he twists and curls the ruffled adipose fin that runs along the sides of his tail as further proof.

Amusement, with not a little bit of amazement, slips through the kin-connection before Dean looks back down at what he’s doing. Once the end-fan is full wrapped around the end of Castiel’s tail, Dean uses strips of kelp to tie it all into place. He uses a few of them, careful while he knots them so that they don’t rip. _(There. Now it won’t move and there’s no chance of it ripping more.)_

To be honest, Castiel is actually in awe of what Dean has done. It would never have occurred to him to wrap his tail like this. He’s not overly familiar with how the healers do things and this is such a simple solution that he’s almost embarrassed that it didn’t occur to him sooner – let alone that it was a _fang-fin_ who thought of it first. With his end-fan wrapped like this, Castiel can now slither his tail to move forward and ruffle his adipose fins to stay afloat. That’s an extremely slow way of traveling in comparison to how he usually swims, but at least that something. There is also a hole in one of his adipose fins, but he’s not too worried about that getting worse since it won’t affect his ability to swim properly in the future.

 _(Thank you.)_ Castiel curves his tail up and forward so he can touch at the kelp. It’s not too tight and it actually feels surprisingly comfortable. _(Thank you for this. And for being so proactive in insisting that I go home today.)_

 _(Don’t thank me yet.)_ Dean’s thoughts, though ringed with pride, are shifty and uncomfortable. _(You’re not going to like what my next idea is.)_

That drags Castiel’s thoughts straight back into worrying about what’s going to happen and he frowns again. _(Oh? Why?)_

But Dean isn’t looking at him and he’s fidgeting by running a hand up and down one of his elbow fins. _(You’re not going to be very fast like this, are you?)_ He pauses his fidgeting long enough to gesture at how he’s wrapped Castiel’s tail.

 _(No, of course not.)_ Honestly, Castiel would probably move just as fast if he decided to just pull himself around by his hand on the seafloor. The difference between that and slithering is next to nothing.

Dean bites his lips and Castiel can tell that he’s fighting the urge to start swimming around. _(That’s what I thought.)_ He huffs and pushes a hand through his hair. _(See – we’re going to have to go fast. The quicker we do this, the less likely we are to get caught.)_

That makes perfect sense and Castiel can accept that, but what has a chill running through him is what Dean is leading up to. He sighs a huff of water through his gills and looks at from Dean to Sam and Jess then back again. _(Someone is going to have to carry me.)_

 _(Yup.)_ Dean nods and he doesn’t seem any happier about it than Castiel is. _(That’s about the gist of it.)_

Castiel rubs a hand over his face and looks down at his lap. _(Wonderful.)_ He’s not all too happy about that and judging by the understanding in the kin-connection, the fang-fin share his feelings for it. Or, rather, they know that it will make him uncomfortable though they don’t seem to mind the idea of it.

 _(We thought you should pick who should do it.)_ Sam swims forward and Dean immediately draws back, his relief a brief sentiment in their link. _(We don’t want you to be **too** uncomfortable, and I swear to you that if we could do it any other way, we would take that option.)_

This is a snag in their plan that Castiel had not considered. He had been too happy throughout the remainder of his day earlier to actually think about how it would be done. But now that he _does_ take a moment to think about it, he realizes that the one that he is the most comfortable with – oddly enough – is... Dean. They’ve spent the last rotation in constant company and he let Dean touch his tail – which is more than he’s let any of the other fang-fin do.

Truthfully, Dean is one of the best choices after all. He’s strong and fast and big enough to carry Castiel without being encumbered by the size of a full grown male bright-fin. Of course, Sam is bigger than Dean and could likely carry Castiel easier, but – but he is more familiar with Dean than he is with Sam. They’ve talked so much over this past rotation and it’s come to the point that Castiel just knows him better than any of the other rebels.

Besides that, Dean has also spent the last rotation working hard to earn Castiel’s trust. For the last few days, he’s been overwhelming Castiel with his earnest apologies and he has sworn to Mother-sea and back again that he doesn’t want to hurt another bright-fin. He wants to _try_ and be a better fang-fin – to be a _friend_ of the bright-fin. And he’s much too aware that his history is going to affect any chance he has to be that.

Castiel wants to give him that chance. _(Dean can carry me.)_ He looks to Dean with an encouraging pulse through the kin-connection. _(If you’re comfortable with it.)_

Surprise sweeps through the kin-connection and it only comes from Dean. Apparently Sam and Jess were expecting this. Dean, however, is flooding their link with disbelief. _(Really?)_ His eyes are wide and they shine in the light of Castiel’s glow. The kin-connection takes a secret, hushed edge to it as Dean narrows the link to a private one just between the two of them. _(I thought you didn’t like me.)_

 _(You thought wrong.)_ He shakes his head and offers a touch of comfort through the kin-connection. _(I don’t like what you’ve done and I haven’t forgiven you for that. But – if this war never happened – I would like to think that you and I could have been friends.)_ Castiel _has_ enjoyed their conversations after all. And he’s especially enjoyed learning about Dean and about the fang-fin.

The pure and absolutely _grateful_ happiness that flows through the kin-connection catches Castiel by surprise. It matches the wide grin that spreads across Dean’s lips before he ducks his head and looks away, trying his best to hide his delight. _(Yeah, that’s – that’s good.)_ He takes a moment to compose himself before he looks to Sam and Jess and opens the kin-connection to them again. _(I’ll do it.)_

Now _that_ surprises them and they share a curious look. Castiel doesn’t fault them for it. Whenever they’ve visited to talk, Dean and Castiel have barely interacted. There was so much else to talk about with everyone else that they didn’t need to talk to each other. It was always nice to refresh themselves with the minds of someone else for at least a little while.

Rather than let everyone dwell in their surprise, Castiel turns their attention back to the matter at hand. Dean is now going to be carrying him back to his colony and that raises some questions that Castiel _needs_ answered before he lets anyone touch him again. He touches his curiosity to all three of their minds and supplies the image of the rigid fin sloping out from Dean’s back.

 _(How are you going to carry me with your back-fin? Won’t it be in the way?)_ Castiel looks at it pointedly as Dean swims forward again, circling around Sam for a moment.

If he was going to be carried by a bright-fin, they would simply fold their back-fan flat against their back and Castiel could hold on to their shoulders while they swim. But, with a fang-fin, their fins are rigid and not even remotely flexible. Castiel knows without a doubt that Dean’s elbow-fins and his back-fin are solid like that of a shark. They don’t move at all and he can’t imagine that it will be comfortable for him or for Dean to swim with him on Dean’s back.

For a moment, all three of the fang-fin in the cave stare at him. Then Dean laughs and flexes his arms. _(I’m going to carry you with these.)_ The kin-connection fills with the images of Castiel being cradled against Dean’s chest. _(You’ll just have to keep your tail straight under me so it’s not hanging and slowing us down.)_ He pauses and tilts his head. _(That’s okay, right?)_

A blush threatens to rise in Castiel’s cheeks and he forces it back down. _(Yes, that’s fine.)_ He hadn’t been expecting that, even if it is the most logical conclusion.

 _(Excellent.)_ Jess swims forward to cut between all of them, circling to draw Sam away with her. _(We should get going then. You’re going to need to keep your glow muted while we’re swimming. We’ll be going well outside of both our territories and all the way around yours to approach from the other side.)_

 _(Why so far?)_ Castiel pushes himself up from the cave floor in what feels like the first time in forever. His adipose fins roll wildly to keep him floating and his hands move back and forth to tread the water. It feels so _good_ to move again.

Sam glances back at them as he and Jess swim for the cave exit. _(We don’t want to risk a fang-fin finding us. It probably wouldn’t be that great if a bright-fin finds our group either. The farther out of the way we go, the less of a chance we’ll have of accidentally running into someone.)_

They really _have_ thought this all through. Castiel is pleasantly surprised by it. But that still brings to mind one question. _(What happens if a fang-fin **does** find us?)_

None of them meet his eyes but Dean drifts closer to his shoulder. _(We don’t want to think about it.)_ And that answers Castiel’s question. This means that the rest of the rebels waiting for them outside are here as _guards_ and that they might very well attack another fang-fin if one comes near them. Hopefully they don’t plan on doing the same if they see a bright-fin. In any such case, Castiel can easily play ambassador and hopefully stop any bright-fin from attacking.

 _(So, you ready to go home?)_ Dean asks, touching Castiel’s elbow hesitantly.

 _(I have never been more ready for anything in my life.)_ He nods and doesn’t think twice about reaching out to put his arm around Dean’s shoulders. His whole arm tingles at the feeling of actually touching another fin-kin. It’s been so long that he almost forgot the feel of someone else’s skin. He tries not to think about how it’s _Dean_ that he’s touching. This is just a temporary hold while they go through the cave system where Castiel can mentally prepare himself for how he is going to be _held_ for the rest of their trip. _(Let’s go.)_

Castiel’s adipose fins ripple to keep him afloat while Dean’s tail sweeps back and forth behind them. It’s a weird sensation to swim without actually swimming. Every instinct that Castiel has wants him to beat his tail up and down. It takes more concentration than he thought it would just to keep it out behind him and _not_ move it. He can’t even slither next to Dean because with the way the fang-fin tails move, he would just get in his way.

With Sam and Jess leading the way out of the caves, they reach the open ocean _much_ faster than Dean did yesterday. In the last cavern, just before they exit out to where the others are waiting, Castiel makes sure to dim his glow to nothingness. He just barely remembers to do it, almost too distracted by his building excitement over _finally_ being in fresh water again. He’s feelings are reflected back at him through the kin-connection as Dean is trying so hard not to rush them out into the open.

Water has never felt so good when Castiel breathes it in and pushes it out through his gills. It’s been two rotations and he closes his eyes just to enjoy the feel of an actual _current_ washing over him. He sinks to the ocean floor happily with Dean, the both of them needing to take a few moments just to breathe and revel in their freedom. While they enjoy it, Castiel seeks out the minds of every one of the rebels here and establishes the kin-connection with them. Jess wasn’t lying when she said they were _all_ here. There are even some new faces that Castiel hasn’t met yet.

Right now, everything is amazing. Fresh water, an actual current, _and_ Castiel’s mind is full of voices. It’s not the same as it would be if he was in the main link that connects his whole colony, but it’s much better than having only two or three minds linked to him at a time. This is more than he’s had in two rotations and Castiel is happier than he has been in a long time. How can he not be when he’s finally _going home_? He’ll be able to see his family and his friends again and he’ll be _safe_.

It’s literally impossible for Castiel to hide his happiness right now. He makes sure that everyone knows it, filling the kin-connection with a multitude of feelings. Most primarily, he shares his gratitude with them. These rebels have taken care of him with medical salves and food and keeping him company. They’ve also all been taking great pains to keep from killing his kin during battles, all while they’re trying to find other members of the colony who feel the same as them so they can end this war.

Surprisingly, Jo swims forward before anyone else. _(Hey, we should – uh – probably apologize for not trying to get you home sooner than this.)_ She looks back at Ellen and the Bobby. _(We didn’t know that things were like – um – **this** and –)_

 _(It’s fine.)_ He assures her, smoothing her thoughts. _(If I thought it was as important as Dean says it is, I would have said something about my family sooner. I’m glad to be going home, but my time here has been… eye opening.)_ That’s a bit of an understatement, but at least he _is_ glad that he was here. It could have been improved upon, obviously, but this last rotation was better than expected.

Ellen drifts forward and Jo ducks away to let her take her place. _(Pleasantries aside, we shouldn’t hang around here too long.)_ To emphasise her point, she calls out echoes around them. _(We’re still in fang-fin territory and anyone could come along even though it’s the middle of the night.)_

Castiel agrees – and not just because he would like to get home as soon as possible. He nods and turns to Dean. _(So, you’re carrying me. How are we going to –?)_ Of course he knows it will be in Dean’s arms and held to his chest, but will Castiel be facing him or away from him?

Dean shrugs, an uncertain edge filtering through the kin-connection. _(Let’s just – I don’t know. We’ll give this a shot.)_ And the image that he puts into their link is with Castiel facing him. _(If that doesn’t work for either of us, we could just switch to the other way. Unless – do you want the other way?)_

At the moment, Castiel doesn’t have any preference. They both seem like they’ll be awkward to him and he’s not entirely comfortable with either. But he doesn’t have much of a choice here. He sighs and tucks his arms to his chest, ready to use them as a barrier between the two of them so he won’t be chest-to-chest with Dean. Castiel leans back and looks away as Dean floats closer to him, eyes downcast and an awkward edge sliding through the kin-connection to him.

 _(Just get it over with.)_ Bobby snaps when Dean takes a few moments to try and find a good way to approach. _(Some of us actually want to get some sleep tonight.)_

A wordless apology brushes against Castiel’s mind as Dean more or less embraces him. His tail beats hard to move them both up and away from the ocean floor. Castiel ripples his adipose fins to help keep them buoyant, but he doesn’t know what to do with his tail. If he holds it out straight, he ends up with Dean’s tail brushing back and forth over his. And there is one _extremely_ awkward thing that neither of them apparently thought of. Since Castiel isn’t being held at the same height as Dean – his head at Dean’s chest – the movement of Dean’s tail keeps brushing against certain _sensitive_ areas.

In short, it’s rubbing over Castiel’s sheath. His face is _burning_ as Dean starts swimming with the rest of the rebels, and he’s positive that Dean can feel just how hot his face is getting. How can he not when Castiel’s cheek and side-fan are pressed against his chest? Dean’s heartbeat is a steady thump against his side-fan and it’s not helping anything at all. How can Dean’s _hands_ feel warm too? There’s one in the small of his back and the other around his shoulder blades, pinning both his back-fans down. And they’re both so, _so_ warm against Castiel’s skin.

They cave entrance is still in sight on the very edge of their echoes when Castiel reaches his limits. He struggles and pushes away from Dean with a call to stop in the kin-connection. _(This isn’t comfortable.)_ Dean lets go immediately and drifts away from him slightly. If Castiel’s glow wasn’t being dimmed right now, he wonders if he would see a blush on Dean’s cheeks too. _(I would like to have my back to your chest instead, please.)_

For a moment, a frown flickers across Dean’s face in Castiel’s echoes. But it’s gone by the next one and replaced with a shrug. _(Alright.)_

Did he really not have any issues with how he was holding Castiel before? Maybe it’s just a fang-fin thing. Castiel doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to ask. If anything, he wants to completely forget that he was ever held like that at all – and especially that it was with _Dean_. He bites his bottom lip and treads water until Dean’s arms are around him again. Now instead of having Dean’s hands on his back, there’s one on his belly and one on his shoulder where his arm wraps across his chest.

It’s better than before because it doesn’t feel nearly as intimate, but Castiel is trying hard not to find it _too_ weird. He’s never been held like this before – or ever, actually. By anyone. He’s slept in a pile with his siblings and had brief hugs from them, but nothing that will last the length of this trip and certainly not with someone he hasn’t known his whole life. And what is he even supposed to do with his arms? At the moment he has them folded and he’s lightly holding onto Dean’s arm where it crosses his chest.

But, compared to all other options, this is _much_ more comfortable – even if Castiel’s view is now of nothing more than the ocean floor. But at least this way he can easily turn his head and look at the fang-fin swimming in formation around them. Everyone is keeping look to the ground to reduce chances of them being seen – even if it means that they need to go out of their way to swim around obstacles. Most of the rebels can’t even be seen from where he is – with echoes or without.

They must have decided this prior to coming to the cavern, but the majority of the rebels are spread out in a formation around them. The ones that Castiel knows the best – like Sam, Jess, Ellen, Bobby, and Jo – are closely grouped around him and Dean. He believes that might be to try and obscure any sight of him and whatever of his glow might be showing. The rest might be branched out to keep an eye and an echo out for any unfriendly fang-fin in the area.

It might seem a little over cautious, but Castiel appreciates the efforts they’re taking. And it hasn’t escaped his notice that they made sure that they’re swimming down-current from where the fang-fin have made their camps. All because his bright-fin scent is apparently extremely obvious to everyone but him. They’re lucky that Castiel doesn’t mind that this is the long way home. He would rather they make absolute sure that they won’t be discovered than take a risk of being found out in some way or another.

If Castiel wasn’t consumed by his excitement to be going home, he would probably have fallen asleep on the long swim back. Little to no conversation was had between anyone and Castiel doesn’t blame them. Everyone is far too focused on being aware of their surroundings rather than multitask with talking to each other. The most that they talk about is if they spot anything – either fish or shark or deep swimming sea-giant – in their field of echoes.

At some point, Castiel does end up zoning out. He’s not much help here, thought he would like to be. Every league melts into the last and he can’t even differentiate between the different rock formations and growths they pass over. Everything becomes a blur to his eyes and he might very well fall asleep at some point. Honestly, Castiel can’t be sure. Before he knows it, Dean is diving close to a patch of sand and letting him go.

 _(Are we taking a break?)_ He settles against the sand happily. It feels _amazing_ and he can’t resist pushing his arms into it as far as they’ll go. The temptation to take a sand bath is a strong one, but this isn’t the time for it. Castiel can take one of those once he’s home and safe.

Dean laughs and sinks down next to him with a loud sigh, wiggling to press his back-fin into the sand. _(It’s up to you if this is a break or not.)_

At first, Castiel is confused. He looks around at all the other fang-fin settling around them and he’s surprised to find that he actually recognizes the area – to an extent. It’s a bit hard to tell, but Castiel is fairly certain that he’s been here before even though the area is not exactly _that_ familiar to him. He sits up on the fold of his tail and twists around to orient his bearings.

 _(Yes, I believe this should be good.)_ Castiel points in one direction and looks at Dean. _(My colony is that way, isn’t it?)_

He nods and his smile is lit by the glow Castiel allows to return again. _(Sure is. We’re pretty damn sure that we’re all the way on the other side of your colony.)_ After moment, a yawn splits his face and he stretches again. _(Morning isn’t far off. You’re lucky that you got some sleep.)_

 _(I wouldn’t call what I was doing to be **sleeping**.) _ The yawn draws one of his own and Castiel curves his spine to push his chest out for a stretch of his own. _(But yes, I can go by my adipose fins from here. It will be slow, but I’ll keep the kin-connection open. The sentries will come help me once I’m close enough to reach them.)_

Several of the gathered fang-fin let him feel their gratitude and he returns it to them a hundredfold. They had no obligation to escort him on this trip, but they made the effort and he can never thank them enough for it. He even thanks Jo for saving his life and pulling him from the rockslide – even if her methods left much to be desired. The goodbyes with the majority of the rebels is short and sweet and they all drift a short distance away. Those who stay for a little while longer are the ones that Castiel knows the best, and that list is rather short. It’s only Sam, Jess and Dean who stay behind.

 _(I’m glad you’re home now.)_ Sam’s touch in the kin-connection is honest and heartfelt. _(I wish we could have taken you the whole way – and that we had done this sooner than now.)_

Castiel shakes his head and reaches out to touch Sam’s shoulder, offering some form of comfort. _(Thank you for everything.)_ And he truly means it. _(And don’t regret the length of my stay. I learned a lot from all of you. No matter how much I may have missed my family, I’m happy to have gotten to know you all.)_

He makes sure that Dean knows that he is included in those sentiments. In his echoes, Dean’s ducks his head slightly and tries his best to hide his smile. Despite that, he does nothing to hide his delight from the kin-connection. That feeling only grows when Castiel turns to him after giving his goodbyes and his thanks to Jess for all the food and the salves she brought for him.

For Dean, Castiel touches his shoulder lightly. _(And thank **you**. I wouldn’t be going home tonight if it weren’t for your efforts.)_

Dean shrugs, knocking Castiel’s hand from his shoulder as he raises a cloud of sand and starts swimming circles around the three of them. _(Yeah, well, I figured it was about time you stopped being stuck in that damn cave with me anymore. I’m not the greatest of company.)_

It feels like he’s making a joke, but Castiel wants to correct him. Before he gets the chance, Jess touches his elbow gently. _(Please tell your Council that not all of us want – or ever wanted – this war.)_

 _(I will.)_ He assures her, his thoughts as serious as they can possibly be. _(I’ll tell them everything. Once Michael knows, I’m fairly certain that this war will end soon after.)_

Her smile is not nearly as confident as it should be, but she squeezes his arm once before drifting back from him. _(I wish we had your confidence.)_

Before she gets too far, Dean grabs her arm and draws her back. _(How are we going to know how that conversation turns out?)_ He looks between her, Sam, and Castiel, his curiosity thick in their link.

It’s a rather good question and Castiel frowns while he thinks about it. There is no way that the healers – or his family – would allow him back into battle any time soon. That’s basically the only way they could legitimately meet. Aside from that, Dean and the rest of the rebels would have to sneak away to where they would be able to meet with him and the Council. At this point of the night, with as little sleep as he’s gotten, Castiel honestly can’t think of anything else they could do.

 _(Meet me here again in three days time.)_ He picks out a cluster of rocks to their right, hoping that it will be distinct enough for them to find again. _(I’ll tell you how my talk with the Council went and what they plan to do with the information – if they have a decision by then.)_

His decision only brings concern simmering along the edges of Dean’s thoughts. _(But will you be able to make that swim? You said that it’s going to be slow going for you on the way there.)_

Castiel can’t help but smile at him. _(My end-fan should be much better in three days. If I’m not here, then assume that I wasn’t able to make the swim. But I’ll be sure to send someone to let you know what happened.)_ Before any of them can say anything, he overlaps their thoughts in the link. _(I promise that it will be someone I trust beyond all doubt.)_

That seems to be enough to calm their own uncertainties and any questions they might have. Castiel turns to Sam and Jess because there is one more thing that he wants to say to them. _(Please keep up with what you’ve been doing until now. I’ll try my best to make things work with my family, the Council, and my colony.)_

Both her and Sam fill the kin-connection with their appreciation. _(We appreciate it. Thank you.)_ They both touch his shoulders gently before they swim off to join the rest of the waiting rebels.

Most of those waiting have already dropped the kin-connection with him. Now seems as good a time as any and Castiel slowly closes each link one by one until it’s only Dean left in his mind. Said fang-fin is currently still swimming in circles as is his nervous habit. Castiel finds it rather endearing and he waits silently until Dean is ready to say something on his own.

He doesn’t have long to wait. _(I’m going to have to go back to fighting now.)_ Dean doesn’t sound even remotely happy about that, which is surprising. Castiel was under the impression that Dean _enjoyed_ fighting. Of course, that is only if it’s under the right circumstances.

_(How will you handle that?)_

Dean shrugs and rubs a hand through his hair. _(I dunno. Maybe I’m going to do my best to make sure that everyone I’m in charge of stops killing in battle.)_ His thoughts are tinged with doubt and he clearly doesn’t believe that this plan would work. _(We’ll – I don’t know. I don’t know what I’d make them do instead, but I’ll convert them or die trying.)_

Castiel frowns, his disapproval thick through the kin-connection. _(I would prefer if you didn’t die.)_ His inability to forgive Dean aside, he does consider them to be friends in some sense. That said, he would actually be rather unhappy to learn that Dean or any of the rebels died from here on out.

His feelings on this matter seem to have caught Dean by surprise. Honestly, Castiel is a bit surprised by it too. He hadn’t thought about his feelings towards the rebels, or Dean, much beyond the fact that he considers them to be quasi-friends at the least. But to be upset if any of them died? That was rather unexpected and it shows on Dean’s face before he looks away.

There’s a brief moment of silence between them before Dean huffs water through his gills and stops circling. _(I’m sorry, y’know? I haven’t said it yet, but I am.)_

That confuses him and Castiel tilts his head, his side-fans twitching out. _(For what?)_

Dean starts rubbing his arm-fin again and he won’t look Castiel in the eye. _(For killing your kin.)_ His admission comes through slow and sad. _(I never would’ve done it if – if I **knew**.)_

 _(I know.)_ Castiel also knows what Dean is looking for right now. He’s hoping for forgiveness, but he’s just not capable of that at this point in time. _(Maybe I’ll forgive you for it one day.)_

If Dean’s fins could flex like his, Castiel is certain that Dean’s side-fins would be drooping. His shoulders drop slightly and a pang of hurt slices through the kin-connection. It is immediately followed by a pulse of understanding and _hope_. Dean nods and turns away, his goodbye brief before he cuts the kin-connection and leaves Castiel in silence. Some of the fang-fin wave as they start swimming away.

For a little while, Castiel stays and watches them leave. He doesn’t quite understand the little tug in his chest as he watches them go and he’s rather glad that he has no one in the kin-connection to share it with. Despite how awkward it had felt to be carried by Dean, the trip back wasn’t _bad_ , per se. And he can’t say that his stay in the cave was entirely terrible. It wasn’t _the best_ , but it wasn’t the worst either. Honestly, part of him thinks that this is just a dream. He finds it hard to believe that he’s actually _here_ and his family is just _so close_. And that is what makes him start moving. Castiel wants to see his siblings and the silence in his head is starting to feel overwhelming again. It’s been whole rotation since he was on his own like this and he can’t bear it anymore.

His adipose fins ripple valiantly to keep him floating as he paddles with his hands, cutting through the water to pull himself along. Even though it doesn’t do much to propel him, his tail still twists from side to side in a slithering motion. Despite the effort it takes to swim, Castiel is happy to be closer to home. He can easily put out of his mind the odd feeling in his chest now that the fang-fin rebels have left him.

The swim to being within range of the sentries is going to be a slow one – compared to how quickly he can usually – but it’s nice to finally be _moving_ again. Hopefully it won’t be too long a swim before the edges of the kin-connection will find the minds of the sentries. Castiel has his reach spread as far as it will go, straining for any mind that burns brighter than the thoughtless fish he swims past.

With every little bit of distance that he covers, Castiel’s desire to see his family grows. He can’t wait to see them and a lump fixes itself in his throat at the thought of them. It’s just a short matter of time before he can show them that he’s alive. It might be the first bit of good news they’ll have received during the course of this war.

There is nothing Castiel is looking forward to more than that.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(I’m sorry.)_ The apology means nothing and it’s utterly pitiful, but Castiel can’t stop himself from saying it anyways. _(I’m so sorry.)_ He repeats it in an unending mantra because it is _killing_ him that he was the one who put his family through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

For every tail length that Castiel covers in his agonizingly slow swim, his nerves climb a little higher. His whole head is aching with maintain the kin-connection. He’s been stretching it to its limits since the fang-fin left him. Castiel is a little disappointed that he hasn’t encountered a patrol yet. There should be one on this side of their territory, patrolling the edges in pairs along the edge. Granted, he’s not entirely sure of how close he was to the boundaries of the bright-fin area.

Whether it’s the patrols, the reserve camps, or the sentries, it doesn’t matter to him. All Castiel wants is to feel the familiar mind of a bright-fin. Hopefully, the first fin-kin he makes contact with will be someone he actually knows. Thinking about who he might meet first helps to pass the time while he half-pulls, half-slithers his way across the seafloor. It’s extremely frustrating to move this slowly, so he can really only hope against all hope that someone will find him soon. His hopes turn to prayers when he crosses the rock-marked border of his colony and _still_ hasn’t reached any mind.

It’s taking all of his willpower to keep himself from worrying about an unlikely possibility. Part of him is absolutely terrified of the very slim chance that his colony won’t be there anymore. He continues to remind himself that Dean wouldn’t have brought him home if there was no one to return to. The fang-fin would consider the war won if the bright-fin moved out, wouldn’t they? Or would the fang-fin Council be set on hunting down Castiel’s entire colony until they were all gone?

Considering what he knows of the fang-fin Council, that honestly wouldn’t be surprising.

But that worry still continues to grow the longer he goes without his thoughts touching another mind. It is a truly _massive_ relief when the bright, buzzing mind of a fin-kin brushes against his own. Castiel stops swimming and focuses entirely on that feeling. He wraps around that mind, despite how it feels so distant, and tries hard not to overwhelm them with his delight. Whoever it might be could very well recoil if he’s too anxious. They could easily assume him to be a fang-fin, since no one else is supposed to be in this area.

Castiel presses and pulls at the kin-connection, hoping they recognize the touch of another bright-fin. More than that, he hopes that they recognize _him_. Depending on whether this is a sentry or a patrol, they could be a member of his garrison. If he was correct in his counting of the days that passed while he was in the rebel’s cave, then that means his garrison should be on sentry duty right now. Which means that if this is a sentry guard he’s trying to make a link with, then they’ll know him regardless of whether they’re in his garrison or not.

Since the start of the war, sentry duty has been carried out by two garrisons at a time. Castiel’s garrison has been working alongside the same garrison ever since then. They’ve fought side by side on the battlefield and trained together in the reserve camps, they’ve patrolled along the territory edge as one, and kept each other company as they diligently watched over the colony from the edges of the trench. The two garrisons have worked so closely together that it’s almost been as though he’s had control over one very _large_ garrison with the aid of a secondary commander.

He very nearly cries when the mind eventually opens to his. His worries weren’t helped in the slightest by the oppressive silence of an empty kin-connection. Finally being in contact with someone of his home colony brings even more relief as the empty quiet in his head is chased away. Castiel relaxes against the sand and ignores what little rocks press into his skin. This mind is familiar to him in that he knows who they are, even though they aren’t friends and this fin-kin isn’t in his garrison.

 _(Castiel?)_ The disbelief is thick in Ezekiel’s thoughts.

 _(I can’t even **begin** to tell you how good it is to hear you.) _ Castiel sighs happily and takes the chance to finally stretch his muscles again. He may be excited beyond all reason for finally linking with someone he knows, his busy night is taking its toll on him – despite how he slept a bit before Dean woke him.

Ezekiel is utterly dumbfounded, even as he gently touches all along the edges of Castiel’s mind to confirm that it’s him. _(You’re – you’re **alive**?)_

 _(Surprisingly, yes.)_ Even he has trouble believing it when he stops to think about it sometimes. _(But I’m injured and it’s difficult for me to swim. I need you to find the nearest commander and have them send a detachment to come and get me.)_

Acknowledgement flickers through the kin-connection, and Castiel waits a moment before he pulses curiosity at Ezekiel’s mind. _(I’ve fairly certain that I’ve made my way **into** our borders. Why haven’t I come in contact with a patrol?)_ By all rights, they’re supposed to be in groups of two within reach of each other by the limits of their kin-connection. He should have overlapped with at least one of the patrol pairs while travelling.

 _(The best as I know is only rumor.)_ His thoughts are uncertain, but Castiel silently urges for more. _(We got word a short while ago that some of the patrols were drawn back to watch over an area where a group of fang-fin were seen until the reserve camps were able to take their place. We haven’t heard anything past that so I don’t know if it turned into a skirmish or not.)_

It was the rebels. There is no doubt in Castiel’s mind that the rebels were spotted on their way home. That sends his nerves rocketing upward again and he has to resist fidgeting and thinking about it further. He prays to Mother-sea that the bright-fin didn’t attack, and he hopes that Dean and the others managed to make it out of this area without further trouble. But the lack of information makes him nervous and he can only hope it means that nothing has happened.

Before he can ask about it further, there are four more minds touching his. They shove their way in alongside Ezekiel’s and he actually drops out completely. He’s always been nice, but rather reserved. It’s likely that he doesn’t see any reason to be a part of this now that others have taken over the link. Castiel isn’t surprised. With Uriel, Hannah, Hester, and Gadreel’s voices all clamouring in the kin-connection, he’s almost overwhelmed himself.

Castiel sifts through the rush of their thoughts, sorting out the feelings more so than the actual words. Surprise, delight, disbelief – it’s all there and none of it is surprising. He doubts that anyone at the colony expected to see him again after he was gone for _two_ whole rotations. No one has ever come back after being lost during a battle, even if their bodies were never recovered. More often than not, they always try to find the bodies of the fallen and bring them back for a proper funeral ceremony.

Those are always a sad time in the colony. Castiel _hates_ seeing the kelp wrapped body of a comrade be weighed down with rocks and released to sink into the burning abyss of the trench. The ceremony always ends with family and close friends decorating the now empty sleep shelf with shells and shine-stones. The shelf remains unused until the decorations are washed away by currents in the trench.

 _(You’re alive!)_ Hannah must be swimming loops from how jubilant she sounds in the kin-connection. _(Word is spreading fast and **no one** believes it.)_

Even Hester sounds happy and that’s rather rare. _(It’s good to hear from you, Castiel.)_

 _(We’ve already sent Hael to the Council.)_ Gadreel’s usual level headedness is apparently not affected by his own joy at learning that Castiel is alive. _(And Inias is already on his way to find Anna and Balthazar. We’ll have them here as soon as possible.)_

Castiel’s heart feels like it’s swimming upwards at incredible speeds. He can’t wait to see his family again. The only thing he wishes now would be if he was able to be a part of giving them the news of his return. How happy and relieved will they be? At the same time, he’s glad he won’t be a part of that. It means that he would know just how much his death would have upset them. And that’s a pain that he never wants to know.

Uriel waits until the other three have calmed down enough before he even has the chance to speak. _(We’re already following the kin-connection to you. We’ll be there as soon as we can.)_

There is little point in trying to hide how happy it makes him to hear that. Castiel shares it with all four of them. Following the kin-connection is an imprecise way of finding someone, but it’s the best that they have right now since he only has a slight idea of what direction he’s in. He of course shares that with them to help find the way, including what landmarks he can remember passing thus far tonight. It’s not much, but it should hopefully point them on the right route to him.

When was the last time he was this happy? Or this excited? Castiel honestly can’t remember it. He can’t wait until he’ll see his family again. It will be _so_ nice to curl up with them in the comfort of his home trench and feel completely _safe_ for the first time in two rotations. In the rebel’s cave, he was safe from other fang-fin and most ocean predators, but he was still in enemy territory. It was impossible to actually _relax_ while he was there – and especially when Dean was staying with him.

After being alone since the rebels left, it feels like no time at all before Uriel and the others swim into the boundaries of Castiel’s echoes. He can’t hold back his smile as he rises to meet them. To his surprise, Hannah hugs him tightly. Gadreel and Uriel both put consoling hands on his shoulders, squeezing tightly as if they’re checking to make sure that he’s real.

 _(I can assure you; I am not a spirit.)_ Castiel returns the touches, even as Hester inspects the wrapping around his tail. _(Though it’s been so long since I’ve been home that it does feel as though I’m returning to the world of the living.)_

Hester gently touches the kelp on Castiel’s tail. _(Is the damage bad?)_

 _(I’ve been tending to it myself, but it’s been healing rather well.)_ Which is mostly true, but he doesn’t need to tell them that he’s been using healing salve too. _(But I still want the healers to take a look at it.)_

Concern flicks through the kin-connection as Hannah shoulders her way in next to Hester to get a look of her own. Her fingers just barely touch Castiel’s adipose fins where there are still a few healing tears. She withdraws her hand when he ruffles them at the touch. It was too intimate for him and Hannah shares her quick apology through a private link, coloured with her embarrassment at having done such a thing without asking. He thinks nothing of it as Gadreel helps him onto Uriel’s back.

Hannah’s embarrassment still tinges the edges of her thoughts as she floats into place next to Uriel. _(How were you injured in the first place?)_

 _(It was a rockslide.)_ Castiel shrugs, making himself comfortable with his hold around Uriel’s shoulders. _(Alright, I’m ready. Let’s return to the colony.)_

Apparently that does nothing to stem the questions that he knows all of them must have. As they start swimming, Hannah stays close to their side. _(How did you survive the rockslide? The last anyone knew of you was that you were being chased by **three** fang-fin. They came back and you didn’t.)_

He could tell them, but Castiel knows that Raphael and Metatron would be _very_ upset if he told anyone before he told them. _(That is a story I must give to the Council first. I’m sure you’ll hear it not long after I’ve filled them in.)_ Besides, the story involves fang-fin and Castiel knows better than to say anything about them now – even if it’s to say that he was saved by them. It would only cause a fuss among the colony. But Michael will know how to tell them without causing an uproar.

His answer comes as a disappointment to the others, but they accept it. Questions still abound, though Castiel can’t answer any of them. Despite that, he still likes them. It’s just so _nice_ to have a handful of voices in his head – and not just any voices, but ones that he’s known most of his life. Nothing feels quite as good as being _home_ again.

Things only get better when three very familiar minds crash into his own. Castiel doesn’t even need to pause and examine who they are. The very instant the first touch is made, he knows who they are and he opens to them. It happens much sooner than he thought it would and he can’t believe that he hadn’t realized that his brothers might leave the Council and the trench to come meet him. But sure enough, Michael, Gabriel, _and_ Lucifer, are all on their way to them.

This is the first and only time in his life that he can remember any of his siblings ever feeling _this_ happy. It’s quite possibly the most beautiful and brightest feelings he’s ever felt before. Castiel’s nose stings and he squeezes his eyes shut to hold back the tears. They’re just so _relieved_ – all three of them beyond words once they know for certain that it’s actually him. He is much the same and he fills the kin-connection with every emotion that’s washing through him now.

When his brothers come into view on the edges of his echoes, Castiel becomes restless. Regardless of Uriel’s complaints, he pushes off his back and starts paddling. Obviously he would get to them sooner if he let Uriel carry him, but he can’t hold still for that long. His tail twists, desperate to beat the water as he normally would. The others drift out around them in a protective circle the moment that Castiel crashes into his brothers.

All of them are still far beyond words and no one seems to mind it. Frankly, Castiel prefers wrapping himself in the in unrestrained joy absolutely radiating from his brothers. He curls those feelings around himself just the same as his brothers are wrapping around him. Three different tails are twisted around him in some way and there are arms absolutely everywhere. Castiel’s face is nearly being crushed against someone’s chest and he honestly doesn’t know which one of his brothers it is.

At this point, all Castiel cares about is that he’s home and here again. He was so worried that he would never see his family again, but here they are! That’s all that matters. Castiel missed them so much and he can’t wait until Balthazar and Anna get here too. Then his whole family will be together again and everything will be perfect again – if he completely forgets about the war.

It takes a while, but eventually his brothers do withdraw. Michael catches Castiel’s face between his hands and presses their foreheads together. _(Welcome home, little one.)_ This is the only time that he doesn’t mind that nickname.

 _(You’ve been missed, little bro.)_ Gabriel ruffles Castiel’s hair. _(We’re glad you’re not dead.)_

Lucifer shares in both their feelings, but his thoughts are wrapped in curiosity. He asks the question that everyone is thinking. _(Where have you **been**?)_

Should he tell them without Raphael and Metatron here as well? No, he should wait. The both of them would be extremely unhappy if he only shared it with his family first. And only Mother-sea knows what kind of accusations they would start throwing around. It would likely be about favouritism and that Michael, Gabriel or Lucifer aren’t fit for the Council because they give special treatment to their siblings. Causing trouble for his brothers is the last thing that Castiel wants to do.

Luckily, Michael seems to be along the same mindset. _(Let the healers see to him first. Castiel can tell his story to the **entire** Council **after** he’s had the chance to rest.)_

Even his curiosity is swimming close to the ocean surface. It’s bubbling in the kin-connection and Castiel can’t hold back his smile. _(I can assure you that it’s quite the story.)_ And with that, their curiosity doubles and it is _wonderful_. It’s been far too long since he’s been able to tease his brothers.

As much as he would like to tell them, he knows that he can’t. And as excited as he is to be surrounded by his family again, Castiel is absolutely _exhausted_. He wishes that he had the energy to stay awake and tell everyone what’s happened to him, but he just can’t. He doubts that he even had half a night’s sleep before Dean woke him and he certainly didn’t actually _sleep_ during the long swim here. How could he, considering how he was carried?

It’s much more comfortable to be carried on a bright-fin’s back. He hugs Lucifer’s shoulders tightly and presses his face into his hair while they swim back to the colony. The familiar scent of his brothers lingers in his nose and Castiel wants to nest in it. It feels like home – like safety – like everything good in his life. He clearly didn’t thank Dean and the rest of the rebels enough because Castiel is _much_ happier than he thought possible.

Of course, while he’s happy he’s also extremely tired. So it comes as little surprise to him, or to anyone else, that he falls asleep not long after he’s settled in the healers’ caves. Castiel isn’t exactly pleased to be in another cave again, but the tunnels aren’t as long as twisting as the one the rebels kept him in. It’s less nerve wracking to be kept here, especially since he can still smell the fresh ocean outside _and_ because his brothers are curled up with him.

The early morning is dawning on the colony, but everyone is already awake. Very few manage to sleep the whole night since the war started, but this morning is very different. Someone has returned from the dead and _everyone_ is awake. While the healers were unwrapping Castiel’s tail and examining what remains of his injuries, many visitors were swimming past the nook where the healers have him settled. Castiel doesn’t bother greeting any of them. Instead, he sleeps while Lucifer chases off those who linger at the entrance to the cave for longer than they should.

It’s a little surprising and a bit disappointing that no one woke Castiel when the two most important visitors arrive. He’s also none too pleased to find that Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer, are gone when he wakes up – even though it’s completely understandable. They have some of the most important jobs in the colony to carry out right now, regardless of whether or not their brother has returned alive. Castiel understands, but he wishes that his _whole_ family were here – even if he’s more than satisfied to have Anna and Balthazar nearly crushing him in hugs the moment he opens his eyes.

A laugh bubbles out of Anna as she covers his face in kisses, her hands gentle as she pushes them through his hair. The kin-connection slides into place with the both of them and it’s like coming home all over again. Castiel basks in their love and their relief. Their happiness is just as blinding as what he had first felt from his other siblings and a quiet laugh rumbles in his chest again.

Balthazar’s cheek is resting against his shoulder and he squeezes him in a tight hug. _(We thought you were **dead** , Cassie. Don’t you dare do this to us again! My heart won’t be able to take it.)_

 _(I’ll try my best.)_ Castiel brushes his thoughts along Balthazar’s, trying to calm the slowly growing ire. _(I’m sorry. It was never my intention to upset you.)_

 _(Where **were** you?)_ Anna asks, covering Balthazar’s thoughts to keep him from listening dominating their link. _(We were so worried and you never came back. Where have you been hiding?)_

His smile grows. Oh, but he would love to tell them. They’ll be _so_ surprised when they learn all about it. _(You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.)_

She pulls back to pin him with a dark frown. _(You had better tell me, little one. I would hate to have to wrestle it out of you when you’re injured.)_

 _(I’m not **that** badly hurt. Most of my wounds have healed already.)_ Castiel rolls his eyes and squirms out of Balthazar’s grip so he can sit up. _(And I absolutely will tell you – when I tell the Council.)_ He can sense their pending objections and he smothers them both before they can give them. _(Believe me, this is something that the Council needs to hear first.)_

Anna crosses her arms and her frown only gets worse. _(Well, the healers said that you shouldn’t be swimming around for another few days yet.)_

Then the answer to that is obvious. _(The Council will need to come to me, then. I have some very important information for them.)_

She narrows her eyes at him and suspicion starts sliding along the edges of her mind. _(What kind of information is it?)_ Before Balthazar can give the sassy response that even Castiel wants to say, she rolls her eyes. _(Aside from being **important**.)_

 _(It’s about the war and the fang-fin.)_ Really, what else would he have to tell them? But it is rather fun to get to tease his siblings. It’s a very rare chance for him – even before his ‘capture’ and the war.

Unfortunately, this one might not work out in his favour. Anna leans in until her nose almost touches his and her suspicions have only increased. _(What aren’t you telling me, Castiel?)_ She presses at the edges of his mind with a probing touch, hoping to draw it out of him.

Castiel sighs and looks away, making sure that he doesn’t look at Balthazar either. He’s pulsing curiosity into the kin-connection too and Castiel _knows_ that his will might very well crumble if both of them start pressing for answers. _(If I tell you one thing, will you go and get the Council for me?)_

Anna is so pleased that her fans flare in delight. _(Of course.)_

He needs to make this good or she won’t listen to him. She’s always been one of the most hard headed of his siblings and Castiel is certain that if he doesn’t give her something amazing, she’s going to pin him down and wrestle the information out of him. Castiel wracks his brain for a few moments, trying to think of something _perfect_ to use.

What he decides is possibly the best choice and he knows it will make _both_ of them extremely curious. _(Green-eye’s real name is Dean.)_ He doesn’t bother with a pre-amble. There is not lead up to it. He throws the information out there with a quick flash of a memory of Dean sitting on the other side of the cave from him and hopes for the best.

Their reactions come without words. It’s just a surprise that burns through the kin-connection, making Castiel’s head ache. Balthazar is so shocked by it that he actually pulls away, holding Castiel at arm’s length as he stares at him. His mouth is open and he’s not the only one. Even Anna is staring at him, awestruck with the news. Both of them have all their fans spread to the point that their webbing is stretched as far as it can.

Castiel probably shouldn’t feel as smug as he does.

 _(How did you –)_ Anna’s hands twitch and she makes an aborted gesture. _(What is –)_ Her questions keep cutting short and she has to shake her head while she holds the image he shared and picks it apart. _(Dean? **Dean**?)_

He nods slowly, fighting back a smile. _(Yes, Anna. His name is Dean.)_ Castiel crosses his arms and looks between the two of them. _(And that is all I’m going to tell you. If you want to find out **how** I know his name, then you really should call the Council for me.)_

She groans loudly and starts flicking her hands at Balthazar in a sharp shooing gesture. _(You heard him. Go get them. I need answers and I need them **right now**.)_

Balthazar closes his mouth only open it again in astonishment at her. _(Ex **cuse** me?) _ He pushes up from the floor to float next to her. _( **You** were the one who promised to go get them if he told you –)_

With one look, Anna silences him. But it doesn’t last for long and the two of them wrap a section of the kin-connection in a private link. Even though he can’t hear their actual argument, he knows that it is happening and it’s rather enjoyable, actually. Regardless of how annoying it can be, Castiel missed his siblings bickering just as much as he missed everything else about home. He also missed watching them fight and trying to predict who the winner will be.

Today, there is no competition. He knows Anna is going to win. Sure enough, within moments Balthazar is throwing his hands into the air and huffing air through his gills. Anna outright grins at him as he turns away, an annoyed current flowing through the kin-connection as he leaves. The link stays open and Castiel refuses to let it go. If Michael and the others hadn’t cut him out while he was sleeping, he would still be linked with them. He never wants to ever lose the kin-connection with them again.

Anna settles against Castiel’s side with a self-satisfied laugh. Castiel puts an arm around her shoulders and rests his cheek against her hair. _(I knew you would win.)_

 _(I don’t even know why he bothers.)_ Her side-fan flickers against the side of his neck as she laughs again. _(I’m glad you’re home, little one. I’ve never been so sad.)_ Before he can apologize, Anna lifts her head and her thoughts turn serious. _(The fang-fin had you, didn’t they?)_

She never was one for beating around the kelp bed. Castiel just didn’t expect her to dive headfirst into that particular conversation topic so soon. Of course, when she’s curious about something, Anna will _fight_ to get what she wants.

He sighs and squeezes her shoulders. _(Yes, but not in the way that you think.)_ When she urges him to continue, Castiel curls his tail up so she can see the thick salve the healers have spread on the rip in his end-fan. _(This would look much worse if they hadn’t helped me.)_

_(They **helped** you?)_

Her thoughts are incredulous and Castiel doesn’t blame her for it. _(Hard to believe, I know. I had trouble accepting it myself **while** it was actually happening. But I’ll give you all the details about it when the Council is here.)_

It’s quite for a while as Anna spends time ruminating on that. She twists one of her adipose fins around her fingers in the same way that Castiel does when he’s fidgeting. He waits until she’s worked through whatever she’s thinking. There’s no rush to do anything else until the Council arrives, after all. Actually, he _is_ starting to feel pretty hungry. Hopefully his brothers will have the sense to bring him something to eat when they return.

 _(I’m going to have to ask the healers for an idea of when you’ll be allowed to leave here.)_ Anna starts suddenly, drawing Castiel’s attention back to her. _(That way I can make sure that you shelf is cleared off before you have to see it.)_

Immediately his heart sinks. Castiel turns into her to hug her tightly. He hides his face against her hair and tries to swallow around the lump that has lodged itself in his throat. This was something he had been trying so hard not to think about. He knows his family thought he was dead, but this just reinforces that knowledge. They gave him up for _dead_. His family and his friends had to put shells and rocks and all manner of personal trinkets on his sleep shelf while the colony sang a mourning song for him. It breaks his heart to even think about what it must have felt like for them.

 _(I’m sorry.)_ The apology means nothing and it’s utterly pitiful, but Castiel can’t stop himself from saying it anyways. _(I’m so sorry.)_ He repeats it in an unending mantra because it is _killing_ him that he was the one who put his family through this.

Anna hushes him with soft sounds and a calming touch through the kin-connection. Her hands brush down his back,  before she draws back to kiss his forehead. _(It’s alright, little one. We’re just happy to have you alive, safe, and home again.)_ She laughs and pinches his cheek between her fingers. _(But good luck with being allowed to leave the trench again for the rest of this war. Our big brothers were **very** upset when we got the news.)_

That was expected, but the flashes of memories Anna shares with him show sides of his older brothers that Castiel can’t recall having seen before. They actually appear _agitated_ – angry and sad and snapping at everyone, including each other. It hurts his heart all over again and Castiel hides his face against Anna’s shoulder again.

He can feel her smile against the top of his head. _(They kept me and Balthazar here in the trench for **days** longer than we should have been, all because they didn’t want either of us out in harm’s way again.) _ She sounds fond, though somewhat annoyed, as she recounts the memory. _(I know they did it because they didn’t want to lose anymore family, but the both of us still had our jobs to do even though we were grieving. Hanging around here without anything to distract us was making us crazy.)_

That’s a feeling Castiel understands well. It’s almost exactly how he felt during his first rotation alone in the cave. He wasn’t as bothered by it when Dean was there. Even when Dean wasn’t talking to him, he was still a very good distraction from quite a few things.

 _(I kinda wish I could’ve seen their faces when we just took off back to our positions.)_ Anna sighs, a hint of amusement colouring her thoughts. _(We didn’t get their permission to leave. Just took off in the middle of the night and got some messengers the next day with some pretty angry words from our brothers. Maybe Metatron talked some sense into them, I don’t know, but we weren’t called back to the trench again after that – not until you came home, that is.)_

Castiel feels like a hatchling when he turns a pleading look to Anna again. _(You’re not going to go back to your garrison right away, are you?)_ He wants his sister here with him until he’s able to swim again. The same with Balthazar. And he hopes that Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer will at least visit with him too – though he would much rather that they stay at his side for the foreseeable future too. He just missed them so much.

 _(Of course not. I put my second in command in charge. We’ll go back when you’re ready to go back with us.)_ She hugs him again, her words laced with a challenge. _(No matter what anyone else says, we’re sticking with you. Nothing is breaking this family apart again.)_

He has never been more grateful for her stubbornness. Castiel leans into her hug and smiles against her shoulder. _(Thank you. I appreciate that.)_ And he has never been more truthful with her.

 _(Good.)_ Anna pauses for a moment before her thoughts take a serious turn again. _(If we had known you were alive, little one, we would have come for you. You know that, right?)_

Of course he does, and he conveys that feeling through the kin-connection. Despite that, he’s actually glad that they didn’t. Castiel shares that too and it’s no surprise that he’s answered with confusion. Until the Council arrives, he can’t tell her everything but he can most certainly _tease_ her with a few hints at what his story will be about.

 _(I learned quite a bit while I was away.)_ He gives her a sly smile as he pulls away from the hug slightly, though he leaves his tail folded over top of hers. _(I wouldn’t have been able to learn even remotely as much as I did if you had come for me.)_

Anna leans in, her intrigue piqued. _(Oh? Do tell!)_

Well that’s just hilarious. She knows that Castiel isn’t going to tell her anything until the Council is here. But her excitement is appreciated. He’s happy to know that his family is actually interested in what he has to say. Now he can only how that the Council – particularly Raphael and Metatron – will take his news we. Castiel would be absolutely ecstatic if telling his story is what marks the turning point in this war. He’s just not sure whether or not he can see the end of it coming or not.

Almost as if thinking about them has summoned them, Castiel feels the touch of the Council in the kin-connection. Five new minds join his and he happily sinks into the sensation of his siblings. He looks towards the wide opening to the nook he and Anna are sitting in. They’re going to be here soon and it’s going to be time for him to tell his tale. Castiel is ready and he is absolutely looking forward to telling them everything – to _change_ everything that they know about this war.

There is just one thing that he knows he can’t mention to anyone yet. When he tells the Council of his time with the rebels, he absolutely cannot tell them of the plans he made to continue to meet with Dean. That particular tidbit needs to remain a secret until Castiel is positive that he would have the Council’s permission to meet with the rebels. Otherwise, they can never know about it.

One of his biggest concerns is the very real possibility that they might refuse his request to keep meeting the rebels, and that would cause all manner of problems. Without the meetings, he won’t have any way of being kept appraised of how Dean and Sam are handling things with the fang-fin colony. The only place he can think of where they would be able to talk is if they bump into one another on the battlefield. But that is an unreliable and dangerous means of meeting with far too many distractions.

These meetings are the only way Castiel will know if the rebels have managed to figure out a way to handle their colony and their Council issues. Both of those would be considered intelligence of the utmost importance and it’s not just Castiel’s own curiosity that makes him want to know. Besides, he’s supposed to be telling them how it’s going with his own attempts at convincing his colony that the fang-fin aren’t _all_ bad.

On its own, that might come across as double crossing his colony – even though it’s the exact opposite. Castiel has no plans on telling the rebels anything that would put the bright-fin at risk. He only wants to _help_ his colony and the fang-fin find some measure of peace between them. How can he do that if his Council decides that the rebels are too dangerous to meet with? Castiel already knows that they’re not. They’ve done more to stop this war than anyone else and they’ve earned his trust in that regard.

As much as he hates keeping secrets from his family, he would rather not take this risk. Hiding this from everyone is better than having the Council decide it’s a better idea to ambush the rebels. No, he won’t risk their safety. They protected him when he was in their territory and now it’s his turn to return the favour to the best of his ability.

Even if it means lying to those he’s closest to, Castiel _will_ see this war come to an end.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fucking great. Dean’s stomach starts to sink and he has to fight back a frown. _(I’m guessing that things didn’t go so good with your Council, did they?)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

At this time of night, Dean should be sleeping. In reality, he’s about five counts away from chewing on his claws out of sheer nerves. Where the _fuck_ is Cas? Shouldn’t he be here by now? It’s not that Dean’s _worried_ about him or anything, but he can’t stop swimming back and forth behind a screen of rocks that shield him for the most part from being seen or picked out by echolocation. Dean _isn’t_ worried, but he can’t stop thinking some really damn depressing things.

What if something happened to Cas after they left him three days ago? He could have been attacked by a shark on his slow swim back to his colony. Or what if his colony thought he was a traitor and killed him when he told them about what happened? What if he just plain forgot about Dean and the rest of them? It’s totally possible that Cas was lying to them the entire time that he was there and he has no intention of ending this war. He could be just as devious and ruthless as the fang-fin Council for all any of them might know.

Okay, that last one is just plain ridiculous. Dean knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that Cas wouldn’t do that to them. He may have kept a good portion of his mind hidden while they were talking in that cave, but he still shared enough of himself for Dean to feel like he knows more than enough about him. Cas isn’t the only one who felt like they could have been friends if this shitty war had never happened. But that’s beside the point. Cas said he would be here and Dean believed him. He wouldn’t have convinced Sam that he be the one to come out here if he thought it would be a big waste of his time.

There were a couple reasons that Dean figured he should be the one to be here. Not that he wanted to tell Sam some of the more – uh – _personal_ things. It’s not that Dean misses Cas at all, because he totally doesn’t. It’s that he and Cas obviously have a better rapport going than any of the others – or, at least, he hopes he does. The others only saw Cas once or twice a day for the first while that he was in the cave. Dean spent multiple days in his company from morning to night. Cas is just more _comfortable_  with him. Probably. Hopefully. Maybe.

Yeah, that’s definitely one of the things Dean _didn’t_ mention to Sam when he said that he’d be the one coming to this meeting. What he _did_ tell him was that Dean wants to actually feel like he’s doing something to help them stop their Council. Because of his position and his history with this war so far, Dean is the only one out of all his friends that needs to keep pretending that he’s still all for this fucking war. Which means that he needs to compensate for his faked bloodlust somehow by doing stuff behind the scenes – in a way.

Besides, it’s absolutely so much safer for him to come on his own anyways. A larger group has more of a chance of being spotted than Dean does all on his own – just like what happened the last time they were all in this area. Dean is well aware that they were totally spotted three nights ago when they were on their way back to their camp. It was hard to miss the dozens of bright-fin who were skirting along the edges of their echoes. No one made any moves, but Dean and his friends were _definitely_ being watched.

The bright-fin had followed them for a long damn time. They barely passed over their marked borders, but they were guarding it the whole time Dean’s troop was following it around. Sam made sure that none of them paid any kind of attention to the bright-fin – not even so much as looking in their direction.  It was important that they act like they weren’t even remotely interested in anything to do with the bright-fin and their territory while they were there.

Thank Mother-sea that Charlie had the sense to suggest they move further out from the border and leave the bright-fin alone. Dean thought it was a good idea, but he knows there were a few who weren’t exactly happy about it. Everyone knew it was necessary because they weren’t there to cause any trouble, but it also meant that it took even _longer_ for them to get home. But at least the bright-fin stopped following them. That meant no more tension and it was a smooth swim the rest of the way.

Dean can’t help yawning when he remembers how tired he was by the time they got back to the fang-fin camp. Morning was almost breaking by the then and he’s pretty sure that not a single one of them got any sleep until much later in the day. And now here he is, sacrificing sleep once again for the good of his people. He better get some _awesome_ points for this – to put towards what he owes for all the shit he’s done during this war so far. Honestly, he should have gotten points too for how he had to deal with the Council first thing in the morning after a stressful all night swim without sleep.

Actually, no. Those are _really_ not memories he wants to go through right now. Having to face the bastards who actually _lied_ to his _face_ was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. It still surprises him – and everyone he knows – that he managed to control himself. Dean is actually pretty proud of himself for refusing that itching urge to rip their damn throats out that morning. Not only are they the reasons behind all the death that _both_ colonies are going through, but they still had the absolute _gall_ to keep lying to him.

No one – not even Sam – could convince Dean that they were actually happy to see him back that morning. The whole Council had smiles and sweet words, but their minds were so guarded that it doesn’t take a genius to know that they didn’t give a shit about him. If they were actually worried that he had been missing for seven – count them, _seven_ – whole days, they probably would have probed a little deeper about why he had been gone.

Any interest those fuckers had in him dried up the moment that Dean said he hadn’t learned anything important from the bright-fin while he was on his supposed spying mission. It was everything he could do to keep from lashing out when Lilith flat out told him that she was disappointed in him for not learning anything after apparently spending seven days hiding out in bright-fin territory where it was ‘ _too dangerous_ ’ to leave – which was why he was missing for that long in the first place. As far as they know, that is.

Dean was ready to claw Alistair in the face when he was told that his empty report was wasting the Council’s time. That fucker had the _nerve_ to tell him that he should get back to work. How the hell did Dean not notice what his Council was composed of complete dickheads before? It’s so painfully clear that they don’t give a damn about him that he’s actually embarrassed that it’s taken him this long to figure that out. They don’t care about _anyone_ in this colony.

If he lets himself think about it too much, Dean has actually found over the last few days that he’s been getting just a little bit jealous of Cas. His colony sounds so – so _close_. It’s like everyone is a family, whether they’re blood related or not. Cas’s stories made his colony sound like _they_ were his home. It sounded like everyone, Council included, cared about him. And that – yeah, that definitely makes Dean jealous. The only people who care about _him_ knew where he was while he was gone.

It stings like no tomorrow that Dean’s own _division_ barely even noticed that he was back. No one, not even his old captain, asked where he had been. Things just went right back to normal with Dean making sure that everyone was accounted for and that they were keeping fit and fed. At least he had training to take his mind off of just how much his colony _sucks_. And that makes him all the more determined to help them. They could be so much _more_ than this and the Council is blinding everyone to that fact.

Technically speaking, no fang-fin _needs_ to train daily. Some do, some don’t. Those that don’t tend not to last too long with the lifestyle the colony leads. That’s why it’s not required, because most everyone does it anyway – whether with hunting, or just by having a good ol’ regular brawling with other fang-fin. Dean has never felt more pent up in his life then he did coming back from that cave. It’s taken three days of non-stop hunting and training to get himself used to the feeling of actually being allowed to move and fight again.

But there’s just one problem with that.

This is the first time in Dean’s life where he’s actually _not_ looking forward to fighting. Crowley announced that tomorrow they’re going to launch another attack on the bright-fin’s borders and Dean is fully expected to participate. Sure, that’s an easy enough thing to do, but Dean has a hell of a battle reputation. Everyone’s going to question what’s wrong with him when he comes back from fights without hurting a single bright-fin – let alone without _killing_ one.

He’s got a streak going. In every battle he’s been in, he’s always managed to kill or severely wound an opponent. The problem with that, which is so glaringly obvious that it’s brighter than a fucking bright-fin, is that Dean doesn’t _want_ to hurt anyone anymore. But if he breaks his streak now, he’s going to raise the suspicions of quite a few fang-fin – most specifically, the dickheads on the Council. How is he supposed to get through this without revealing himself as a ‘ _traitor_ ’ to the colony? It’s not possible. At least, not from what he can tell.

No, no, _no_. Dean is not going to waste his time thinking about that here. He’s away from the colony and he shouldn’t be thinking about the cluster fuck just waiting for him tomorrow. That’s not why he’s here. The whole reason Dean is _here_ is so he can learn about how Cas’s Council took the news about how the fang-fin Council is full of a bunch of lying shit eaters. On top of that, he should probably talk to Cas about the possibility of any kinds of plans the bright-fin might have for how to deal with Dean’s Council.

That’s right. This trip out here isn’t for pleasantries. It’s not even for a vacation from the stress of having to pretend that he doesn’t know that he’s being used – on top of the stress of his position as division captain. Dean is here because he has a _job_ to do. The same kind of job that Cas has – if he would ever fucking _show up_. Seriously, where the hell is he?

It’s the middle of the night and any sane fin-kin would be sleeping right now – unless they’re on some kind of guard duty. But it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that Cas just _forgot_ about this meeting. He could be sleeping where it is that he sleeps in his trench, curled up and snoring quietly. Dean never mentioned it when they were in the cave, but Cas _totally_ snores. It’s not loud or anything, but it’s a rumble in the back of his throat while he breathes and it’s almost kind of a little cute. Almost.

Yeah, no, not even thinking about somewhat good memories is enough to stop Dean from being annoyed about this. They had a set meeting time and Cas isn’t here. It’s getting really fucking hard _not_ to be angry about it all. Just like it’s hard to ignore the fact that Dean was looking forward to seeing Cas again. Not because he missed _him_ or anything, but because Cas was good company and Dean’s been – well, he’s kinda been feeling a bit lonely now that he’s not actually _stuck_ with someone.

Now that he’s back with his colony, Dean’s eyes have been opened to just how alone he usually is. Sam is almost always off with Jess and they’re do their own thing. Bobby and Ellen spend most of their time together, and Jo likes to spend time with them. There’s always Jo, Charlie, Kevin, or Ash. And a handful of others too. But they’re not with him like he wants them to be. Dean doesn’t like being alone. If he wants to be alone, he’ll seek it out. But it’s hard as fuck to find company when he just wants to have someone _near_ him and not filling the kin-connection with non-stop chatter. Some talk is good, but most of his friends stick to groups and when they’re all together, they’re not exactly _quiet_.

There are just too many moments throughout his day where Dean feels alone. It’s well outside the realm of what he’s comfortable with. Being connected to one mind or more doesn’t make a difference to alleviate it. Being connected but still only hearing silence or too much noise to process it all at once just isn’t the same as – as how it was with Cas. They were connected, and they talked, but sometimes they didn’t and that was okay then too. Why isn’t it okay _now_?

Fuck. It was just seven days and he was stuck in a cave with a damn _bright-fin_. How the hell did it change him this much? Dean is almost completely positive that he absolutely was not this pathetic at all _before_ he went into that cave. Maybe Cas cast some kind of spell on him. What if he’s some kind of sea-witch or something? There are totally definitely shamans in the ocean. Dean knows about it. Mom told him stories all about magic and Dean is never going to forget those stories. Whether or not he believes it’s actually _possible_ has yet to be determined.

But if he puts all that aside, Dean didn’t feel as lonely with Cas as he does when he’s back at home with his colony. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but there was just something about spending time with Cas that was – it was – _nice_. And these are not thoughts that he likes having because they’re _dumb_. Dean isn’t supposed to miss Cas. For one thing, he’s a _bright-fin_. Why would Dean miss someone who lights up the area so much that it makes his eyes hurt? No one, that’s who, and especially not _Dean_.

And how much does he not miss Cas? Enough that he’s decided that Cas is obviously not going to be coming tonight, so he’s just going to go home and get some damn rest. Dean’s deserved it and he’s definitely going to need it for tomorrow. But – and here’s the bitch of the matter – it just doesn’t feel right leaving just yet. Okay, fine. He’ll count to five hundred. If Cas isn’t here by the time he’s done counting, then Dean is going back to camp to get some fucking sleep.

It takes ten counts from one rock to the other as Dean swims back and forth between them. His nerves climb with the numbers the higher and higher he gets – right up until he reaches one hundred thirty four. That’s the moment when another mind touches the very edge of his own and Dean drifts to a stop. He huffs relief through his gills for more than one reason. Not only is the silence finally out of his head and he doesn’t have to fight to ignore how overbearing it felt, but he recognizes that touch and his worries are all melting away now that Cas is actually _here_. Dean can’t resist peeking over the ridge of rocks and calling echoes into the distance, wanting to see the moment when Cas comes into view. He doesn’t have long to wait.

 _(You came!)_ Dean pulls himself over the rocks to meet him halfway.

It’s hard to hold himself back from outright grinning right now. Cas is going slow and his movements look super careful in Dean’s echoes, but he’s actually _swimming_ again! It’s entirely different from how Dean remembers him swimming. He only ever saw Cas on the battlefield, but from what he remembers, Cas was amazing. Quick and graceful and able to swim circles around any fang-fin. Half of the reason Dean pegged Cas as his sworn enemy in the first place was because he was such a good swimmer. The other bigger half being because he was a pain in Dean’s tail.

 _(Of course I did.)_ Cas’s amusement slides into the kin-connection as he glides to a stop.

Any anger Dean felt at being left waiting before has pretty much evaporated by the time he’s circling Cas. _(Yeah, but I thought that you weren’t. Since you took so damn **long** to get here.)_ But that doesn’t mean he’s not going to tease the fuck out of him for it.

 _(I’m sorry.)_ With a sigh, Cas settles to the sand. _(It was hard to get away. I had to tell the sentries that I wasn’t feeling well so I was going to the rock beds and that it might take me awhile.)_ Even though he’s apologetic, Cas is still pretty amused by his story. _(But I shouldn’t stay too long.)_

Dean doesn’t know what the rock beds are, but judging from the images and memories that Cas quickly shares with him, it’s some kind of sandy area with huge rocks sticking out of it where bright-fin go to do their dirty business. He snorts a laugh and shakes his head. Whatever works for them. The fang-fin don’t have a forest of tall rocks to shit in. They just find a sandy patch, dig a hole, do their business, and bury it again. That’s it, that’s all.

But Cas doesn’t need to know that. Besides, they’ve got a job to do and Dean figures that it’s not going to take the two of them very long to do it. _(Well, it’s a good thing that we’re not here for some chit chat about all the little things.)_

 _(I almost wish we were.)_ And there goes anything even remotely amusing right out of the kin-connection. _(I don’t relish what I have to tell you.)_

Fucking great. Dean’s stomach starts to sink and he has to fight back a frown. _(I’m guessing that things didn’t go so good with your Council, did they?)_

 _(Not as well as I would have liked.)_ He sighs and rubs a hand over his face. Cas’s thoughts take a serious turn. _(First things first, I shared almost all of my memories with the Council and they **do** believe everything that I told them.)_ The pause he takes just makes Dean feel even worse. _(Actually, my **brothers** are the only ones on the Council who really believe me. Raphael and Metatron both think that you’re all trying to trick me – and them.)_

Cas stops to glance back over his shoulder, a wistful almost sad feeling tainting his thoughts. _(I just wish that this wasn’t the kind of situation where the whole Council has to decide on something before any action can be taken. Michael’s ruling power means almost nothing in this particular case.)_

There’s only one answer Dean can think of right now. _(Shit.)_

A grim agreement tickles along the edges of his mind. _(You can say that again.)_

 _( **Shit**.) _ That seems to amuse Cas a little bit, but there’s no hint of a smile anywhere on his face. _(So, nothing is different now, is it? You going home didn’t really change anything did it?)_

 _(I’m working on them every day.)_ He shrugs and props his chin up on his hands. _(But there’s only so much I can do. It’s hard for them to stop distrusting any fang-fin’s motives. Which is the whole reason that I haven’t told any of them that I’m meeting with you. I doubt they would be letting me do it if they knew.)_

Whoa, hold on. What? _(You’re **lying** to your Council? Your colony? Your **family**?)_ Somehow, that just feels like it’s not something Cas would normally do. Not that Dean knows him all that well. Either way, both amusing and amazing to hear that even someone as serious as Cas has a devious side.

Cas just shrugs and sighs again. _(A little omitting never hurt anyone.)_

Dean begs to differ on that particular point. _(Omitting is exactly what my Council did to us.)_

Any of Cas’s fins that were extended immediately fold in – most prominently are his side-fans. _(That is true. My apologies. I’m not very good with a jokes.)_

The kin-connection fills with his regret and Dean can’t find it anything but funny. That was Cas’s attempt at a _joke_? Holy crap, his humor is a piece of work. _(Nice try, though.)_

 _(I don’t need your joke pity.)_ Cas frowns at him and his eyes narrow into a squint.

 _(Too bad, because you have it anyways.)_ Dean grins at him, all his pearly fanged whites bared. Why is teasing him just so much fun? And why is he feeling so giddy? It’s so hard to stay still right now and he can’t stop swimming circles around Cas while they talk. Which is definitely what they should be doing. _(So, what is your Council going to do then?)_

All that gets him is another shrug. _(Not much, at this point. They’re thinking about it and I meet with them every day to give them access to the majority of my memories of my time when I was – and I say this with the utmost sarcasm – **captured**.)_

It takes all of Dean’s power not to snort _too_ loudly. _(And?)_

 _(And... that’s really just about it.)_ Cas shakes his head and sighs heavily through his gills. _(My brothers believe that you want to help us, and the other two aren’t so easily convinced but I’m still working on them. For now, that’s the best that I have for you.)_

Dean groans and floats to a stop. _(Well, that’s just great.)_ He’d kind of been hoping that Cas’s colony would just straight up accept this and immediately work on getting this damn war over with. _(So, that’s your Council, but what about your colony? I’m pretty damn sure that you said that your Council shares everything with you guys. Everyone must have been wondering where you were, right?)_

Cas nods slowly and the kin-connection takes an almost fond edge to it. _(Yes, there were many who were worried when I went missing.)_ But that feeling fades away quickly. _(And the Council told everyone the truth once they were done discussing it.)_

The way Cas is feeling makes Dean want to wince. Fuck, this isn’t going to be good, is it? _(And how did that go over?)_ He isn’t expecting to hear good things.

_(With quite a bit of surprise and disbelief, as you would expect.)_

Cas shares some of the memories in the kin-connection and it’s exactly as Dean thought it would be. A whole bunch of arguing about whether or not it’s all just one great big way to backstab the bright-fin all over again. Fucking great. Why did he ever think that this would be an easy thing to do? Mother-sea, help him. How naïve can he _be_?

Apparently Cas shares the same feeling about it. _(Some of the colony think that I’ve been lying to everyone, so they keep coming to visit me to check the validity of my memories for themselves.)_

 _(Holy shit.)_ Dean shakes his head and rubs both his hands over his face. _(That’s just awesome.)_

And now he’s going to have to take this information back to Sam and the others. No one is going to be pleased by that. He should have known that he wouldn’t been going back with good news. This is about a fucking _war_. Nothing good ever happens during a _war_ and it’s going to take harder work than sharing a couple memories to end it.

Oh jeeze, but if _Dean_ is this annoyed just from having heard a little about it, he can’t imagine how it must be bugging Cas. He’s been dealing with this for three days now. But the more that Dean looks at him, the more he’s realizing that Cas _isn’t_ all that bothered by it. Or, at least, not as much as Dean would expect him to be. There is a low-key hum of annoyance in the kin-connection, but aside from that Cas seems like he’s pretty much adjusted to it more or less.

In fact, he’s so adjusted to it that he’s totally ready to keep talking. _(I’m just glad that now everyone knows what your Council has done and that Michael reinforced his decree that we’re **not** supposed to kill any fang-fin unless we absolutely have no choice. It’s the least he can do since the majority of your colony is being deceived – I hope.) _Gratitude echoes along their link and a small smile lifts the corner of Cas’s mouth slightly. _(And as a thanks to Sam and the others for saving me.)_

There’s so little that’s changing now that Dean is feeling kind of annoyingly depressed about this. He lets himself float down until he’s on his belly on the sand. _(That’s awesome and all, but most of my colony is still out to kill you guys.)_

 _(I know. Barely anything has changed, which is why I want to get back out to the battlefield and return to working at keeping my colony alive.)_ Determination starts burning along the edge of Cas’s mind and what little smile he had falls away.

Oh, there’s a pick-me-up right there. _(I’m guessing that’s going to be soon, huh?)_ Dean would like to see Cas in action again, only this time without the blinding hatred and anger he used to feel whenever he saw those bright blue swirls.

Excitement flickers hot through the kin-connection and all of Cas’s fins spread out again. _(Hopefully it will just be another day or so.)_

That must mean that Cas’s wounds are healing. There’s an itch at the back of Dean’s mind begging him to ask how they’re doing, but he’s not so sure that it would be right of him to ask to check them out. Isn’t that kind of a personal thing? Besides, Cas made it here on his own. Which means he can swim. And that means that he’s obviously feeling better, right? Yeah, probably. Dean feeds that to the itch and he can only hope that it’ll satisfy it.

But now that they’ve got all that out of the way, Dean’s at a loss for what to say or do. Does that mean he should head back to camp now? Or is there something else that they’re supposed to talk about? Mother-sea, help him, but he doesn’t fucking _know_. All Dean can think about is how much it sucks that things aren’t magically better now that Cas’s Council knows the truth about everything. This is shit and he doesn’t have the first clue of what they’re supposed to do next.

Thankfully, Cas apparently has a clearer head than Dean does right now. _(Now it’s your turn. Please, tell me what you and the other rebels have been up to. How did your Council take your return?)_

Hold on. Did Cas just call them _rebels_? Holy shit, that’s awesome. They’re rebels! It fits and Dean loves it. He has to bite back actually laughing out loud because any noise this close to the territory border won’t be a good thing. They can’t be seen from it where they are, but who knows how the current may carry the sound?

Oh, right. Cas asked a question and Dean should probably answer it. _(We’ve got nothing either on our end, obviously. And the Council didn’t give a shit that I was missing for seven days. They couldn’t care less that I came back.)_ His anger starts burning in his belly and he pushes himself up to start swimming circles again. _(Sam and the others are just doing what they’ve always been doing and going through the colony trying to find anyone we think that we can convert.)_

 _(You’re not helping them?)_ Cas tilts his head and pulses confusion through the kin-connection.

Dean’s thoughts take a sour edge to them and he doesn’t do anything to stop it from happening. _(No, they’re the ones taking care of that because apparently I’m too **blunt** to do it.)_

To his surprise, Cas actually answers that with amusement. _(well, I must admit, in the short time that I’ve known you even I can tell that you’re anything but subtle.)_

Here he is being all annoyed and unhappy, and Cas is being _entertained_ by it. That little _dick_. But it’s such an unexpected reaction from him that Dean manages to keep his laugh to nothing more than a snort. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head too for good measure. _(Yeah, that’s what they said too.)_

At least Cas doesn’t get any more amused at how right he is. _(Well, then what **are** you doing?)_

If only Dean could be even just a little bit happy about having to talk about this. _(Fucking **nothing**.) _ And it’s driving him crazy. _(All I get to do is act like nothing has changed. Because of my rank and my reputation, I need to keep acting like I’m completely gung-ho about killing off every bright-fin in the whole damn ocean.)_

There’s enough anger woven through his words that Cas’s fins all flatten again and he actually winces. _(That can’t be easy. How are you handling it?)_

Honestly? Better than expected. Dean is kind of proud of himself for it, actually. _(So far, so good. But I’ve only had some training over the last few days. Tomorrow is going to be the hardest.)_ If Dean had flexible fins of his own, they’d be getting droopy too. _(I don’t know what you’re going to do with the information, but you should probably know that there’s going to be an attack tomorrow. Late in the evening, when Alistair thinks everyone is going to be bunking down for the night.)_

What few good feelings Cas had left in the kin-connection are swamped by a wave of frustration and anger. His glow even brightens a bit before he dims it back down so he’s not as noticeable out here in the middle of nowhere. _(I can’t do anything with that knowledge. If I told anyone about it, they would demand to know where I got that information. There’s nothing I can do but hope that the garrisons on duty will be able to react with their usual swiftness.)_

Damn. That’s a good point. _(Sorry.)_ Dean comes to a stop long enough to give Cas an apologetic look. He hadn’t meant to make things harder for him by telling him about it. _(Will you be out there tomorrow?)_

 _(I doubt it.)_ Cas turns onto his back and curls his tail up to take a look at his end-fan. He even brightens his glow enough for Dean to see it when he swims closer. _(It’s healing nicely, but I don’t think it’s well enough for that. The healers only just allowed me to return to my sleep shelf yesterday, and that was with the warning that I should take it easy.)_

He sighs and slumps back against the sand, even though his tail stays up for Dean to examine. _(I’m not supposed to swim outside the trench, do anything considered to be **fancy** swimming, and I’m not allowed to swim fast. With that kind of warning, I’m most definitely not going to be allowed into tomorrow’s battle.) _Cas’s pauses for a moment. _(Maybe I’ll be allowed to be in the next one after that.)_

It takes that moment of pause for Dean to realize what his hand is doing. He freezes and stares at his hand where it’s stopped in mid-reach for the small rip in Cas’s tail. Holy shit is he about to actually _touch_ it? What the fuck is wrong with him? Touching is _way_ too familiar of a thing to do. There is no way that they’re that close to each other.

Dean drops his hand and starts swimming again. _(Well, at least it’s looking good.)_ And that’s Mother-sea’s honest truth.

The rip in Cas’s end-face was twice as long as it is now the last time that Dean saw him. It’s almost down to nothing now, just a sliver of a split at the very edge of the fan. Even the little holes that were in the rippling fans along Cas’s tail are almost gone. Apparently when he’s not stressed out about being locked up in a cave by the enemies of his colony, he can actually heal pretty fast. Home always seems to have that relaxing effect that healing needs. Too bad the fang-fin don’t actually _have_ a home.

After the little wave of gratitude Cas gives Dean for his comment, their conversation falls flat to the sand just like Cas is. It’s a _lull_ and Dean hates it. Lulls mean that they’ve run out of things to talk about. That means that they’re going to have to head their separate ways again. And there is no way in Mother-sea’s blue ocean that he’s going to admit that he might be just a tiny bit upset about that. Just a tiny bit. And that’s only because it feels like they haven’t actually talked about a whole lot. This meeting doesn’t feel _productive_ and Dean hates it.

Even though that’s Dean’s concern at the moment, Cas is apparently of a different notion. He’s still lying on his back in the sand, but his eyes and his echoes are tracking Dean while he swims around him. _(Was it hard for you to get away tonight? Since you were missing for a whole rotation, and all.)_

Dean spreads his arms and whips his tail forward to come to a sharp stop. _(What’s a **rotation**?)_ He’s never heard that word used in the way Cas is saying it.

 _(It’s a period of six days.)_ Cas props himself up on his elbows, his interest peaking in the kin-connection. _(We call it a rotation because that’s how long our garrisons have – well, how long they **used** to have their shifts for sentry duty.)_

He tries to hide it, but Cas still has a lie in their somewhere. The first bit is true, but there’s something false about the second half that Dean doesn’t quite believe. And he’s got a pretty good idea of why Cas is thinking like that.

 _(Hey, Cas, hey.)_ Dean tries to calm the edges of Cas’s mind as they start to get ruffled at his slip up. _(I’m not going to use anything that you tell me against the bright-fin. I want to fix my fuck ups, not make them worse and cause **more** problems.)_

There’s been more gratitude in the kin-connection from Cas tonight than Dean’s pretty sure he felt the whole time they were in that cave together. _(I know, Dean, and I **do** want to trust you. But there’s still a part of me that just can’t tell you the truth about some of the more defensive – or offensive – things that my colony does.)_

 _(I know.)_ Dean gives him a half-hearted smile. It’s the best that he can do right now. _(I get it.)_ But that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it. He _wants_ Cas to trust him. No, not just Cas. Dean wants the whole damn bright-fin colony to trust him. No matter what it is that he has to do, he wants to do whatever it takes to redeem himself for all the shit that he’s done to the colony over these last few seasons.

Cas nods and he tries to force his thoughts to sound cheerful, as if he’s trying to be actually tease Dean somehow. _(Well, are you ever going to answer my question?)_

Question? _(Oh, yeah. Right.)_ Dean shakes his head and starts swimming again. _(Yeah, it was fine. We kind of just do our own thing unless we’re needing in battle, so no one really cares if I go off on my own.)_

 _(But I thought that you held the same position as me?)_ He frowns in confusion, his head tilting and his side-fans flicking out while he thinks. _(How come no one will notice when a captain leaves?)_

 _(I do have the same position. But you bright-fin are way more into each other than we are.)_ Dean shrugs and waves a hand at Cas in a vague gesture that even he doesn’t really know what it’s for. _(I just have to make sure that my guys aren’t slacking. Besides, we barely do any training outside of battle, so I’ve just been catching up the last few days because I feel a bit rusty.)_ He pauses and drifts to a stop again. _(And Mother-sea knows that I’ve got all sorts of pent up aggression that needs some serious venting.)_

It’s really no surprise that Cas actually nods in agreement _and_ that he’s amused by it. _(I don’t find that hard to believe at all.)_

 _(Ha. Ha. Fuck you.)_ Though the kin-connection is full of his disapproval, Dean still grins at Cas and has to keep himself from laughing again.

The smile that he gets in answer catches Dean by surprise. It’s barely there at all, but it’s definitely enough to distract him. In fact, it’s so distracting that Dean very nearly swims right into the rocky ridge that he had been hiding behind earlier. He has to force himself to look away, and gives himself a good head shake too because _what the fuck_.

 _(So – uh – yeah.)_ Dean shrugs and keeps swimming to distract himself. _(I just told anyone that I ran into that I couldn’t sleep so I was going to go out for some late night hunting.)_

It’s such a normal thing to him that it’s surprising when Cas is apparently mystified by that. _(Really? I find it hard to believe that no one questioned it.)_

_(They didn’t have any reason to.)_

Cas is frowning, but he’s still totally in awe of it. _(That’s – well, that’s certainly helpful.)_

 _(It sure is.)_ Dean nods and does his best to try and out swim the onset of awkwardness he can feel starting to creep up on them.

Now there’s just silence and it feels way too – too _oppressive_. There’s literally nothing else to talk about now – or, at least nothing that Dean can think about of. And that means that Dean should probably stop circling and just head right back to camp now. This time, Cas doesn’t seem to have anything else that he can bring up so they can keep talking either. He keeps looking back towards his colony with a frown that just keeps on getting deeper and deeper.

It feels like one of the last things that Dean wants to do right now, but he sighs and swims to a stop again. _(You should probably head on home now. Someone might think you went missing again if you take too long. You’re supposed to be taking a shit, right?)_

His frown gets turned on him and Dean can’t stop grinning at it. But it only takes a moment for Cas’s expression to soften. He sighs and pushes himself up from the sand, his ruffled fins rippling quickly to keep him floating. _(You have a point. And you have a long swim to get back. If you want to sleep tonight, you should get going soon.)_

Dean nods and they both drift away from each other for a tail length or two. Neither one of them makes a move to swim off. In fact, Cas stops altogether and turns back to look at Dean. There’s a tentative, almost hopeful kind of edge to his thoughts when he slips them into the kin-connection. _(Are we going to meet again?)_

That hope is the worst thing ever. Dean hates it – and especially because how he kind of wants to hold onto it for a lot longer than he has any right doing. Or the fact that he might really want to keep meeting with Cas. _(Of course. How else are we going to be able to arrange with your Council to take down mine?)_

Right away, Cas’s hope grows into a bright little bolt of happy. _(That’s good.)_ It takes him a moment to pull the happiness out of the kin-connection so Dean can’t feel it. _(Are you and the rest of the rebels alright with coming to this spot again? Or would you prefer a new one that’s not so far?)_

Good question. Dean shrugs and runs a hand through his hair while he thinks about it. _(For now, let’s just keep using this. If any of us find a better one, we can start using that later.)_

In a curious twist of events that makes Dean want to stick around all the more, every single one of Cas’s emotions pulls right out of the kin-connection. It goes eerily quiet for a moment and Cas is very pointedly not looking at Dean when he asks one very important question. _(Will you always be the one I meet with?)_

Nope. No. Nuh-uh. Dean is _not_ going to wonder if Cas might be hoping for a ‘ _yes_ ’ for that question. Besides, he honestly doesn’t know what it’s going to be. _(Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on which one us manages to get away, I guess.)_ As much as he would like it to be him so he actually feels useful in this rebellion, it’s probably not possible. _(I have the higher position, so it might be more noticeable if I slip away every three days.)_

The first feeling that Cas lets back into the kin-connection is amusement. _(Oh? We’re going to be meeting every three days now, are we?)_

Oh sweet Mother-sea, Cas is trying to _tease_ him. Dean covers his mouth to smother a smile and a laugh as he rolls his eyes. _(Sorry. That’s my bad for just **assuming**. Does the bright-pearl of the deep have a better idea for next time?)_

Cas’s odd little half-smile is back again and Dean kind of really wants to see what it looks like when it’s in full gear. _(Three days is fine with me, Dean. Shall we meet for the same time again?)_

 _(Aren’t they going to question it if you keep leaving in the middle of the night?)_ Dean raises his eyebrows and calls out echoes to watch the way Cas’s fins flex. _(And won’t it be even harder on you when you’re back on duty once you’re all healed up?)_

There goes the little half smile and Cas’s amusement. It’s replaced in the kin-connection with frustration and another dark frown. _(You make a very good point.)_

Wow, it’s getting _really_ hard to hold back his laughter. Dean turns around to go back to circling Cas. _(How about we just leave it like this for now? If it’s too hard for either of us to make it here, we just won’t come. And if one of us doesn’t show, the other just waits a bit before they head on back.)_

It doesn’t change Cas’s frown, but the frustration does ease at least a little bit. _(I suppose that **is** acceptable until we find an alternative.)_

Dean shrugs and stops to give Cas a wide grin. _(Good enough. Besides, it’s not like we’re not going to be meeting on the battlefield at some point, right?)_

And there’s Cas’s look of surprise. _(Are you suggesting that we’re going to speak while we’re supposed to be **fighting**?)_

His grin grows even more. _(Facing you head on to discuss a coup while we’re fake-fighting sounds like a blast, don’t you think?)_ If he had known it was this much fun to sling jokes at Cas and tease him like this, the whole time in the cave could have been _very_ different.

Maybe Cas is thinking the same thing, because his almost-not-quite-there smile is back in place again. _(A blast? If you say so. But if I remember my reputation with the fang-fin, it might actually be better for me to supposedly ‘ **distract** ’ you while we’re fighting.)_

Yeah, that’s totally the reason Dean mentioned it. But Cas doesn’t need to know that. He laughs and shakes his head. _(Awesome. So, I’ll see you next time?)_

 _(Hopefully.)_ Cas waves as he turns to start going back towards his colony. _(Good luck with tomorrow.)_

_(Thanks. I’m gonna need it.)_

Dean waves after him too and completely ignores the weird urge he has to hug Cas goodbye. It’s not a _full_ urge though. More like half an urge. An almost urge. It’s there, but not really. So Dean is pretty satisfied with just a wave before he heads on back to camp. This time, he’s going up and over the bright-fin territory to go in one straight line instead of taking the long way around. If he goes high enough, none of the bright-fin are going to notice him – hopefully.

It’s the dead of the night and Dean sure as fuck plans to sleep tonight. His report to the Sam and the others is going to be short and sweet and they can damn well wait until morning to hear it. The only part he’s going to leave out is how he’s maybe also sort of looking forward to seeing Cas next time – if the both of them can manage to get away.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A smile – the biggest smile Cas has ever given him – tilts his lips. _(Thank you, Dean.)_ He comes to a stop in front of him and grabs both of Dean’s hands. _(You kept your promise.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)
> 
>  
> 
> **I'm so sorry for the delay. This is the first time in over two years where writer's block actually hit and it hit _hard_. I should hopefully be on time with the next update. Keep your fingers crossed!**

Alright, fine. _Fine_. Dean will admit it. Not out loud, or to anyone’s face, but he might actually _think_ it for himself. But, yeah, okay, Dean might kinda sorta like hanging out with Cas. But just a little bit. The meetings with him most definitely aren’t something that Dean actually looks forward to. And they’re definitely not something that he’s fought tooth and nail to have the chance to go to. Definitely not. Not even wild seahorses could drag that kind of confession out of him.

That being said, this is their fourth meeting since the cave and Dean is just this side of ecstatic. The first thing he noticed when he got to their meeting place wasn’t just the fact that Cas beat him to it, but that Cas was _swimming_. Sure, he’s been swimming properly for a while now, but his family _and_ the healers of his colony have all refused to let him leave the immediate vicinity of the trench. Cas has been sneaking out for the meetings and he’s been claiming that he’s been able to swim just fine since shortly before their third meeting.

But tonight, Dean arrived to find Cas swimming in circles and loops in their meeting place. He was flexing his fins and stretching his muscles like he hadn’t had the chance to do in forever. Which, to be fair, he hadn’t. No one back at his colony lets him swim like he was when Dean showed up. His glow was all muted and Dean could really only see him with his echoes, but that was more than enough to see the graceful twists and curves of Cas’s body while he showed way more manoeuvrability than Dean could ever hope to have.

And seeing Cas swim only reinforces the best news Dean has heard in awhile. If he’s able to swim like this, then it means that today is the day that Dean’s been waiting for.  Without a doubt, tomorrow the healers are going to let Cas get back to the action. He’s a good fighter and it’s an itch under Dean’s scales that he’s had to wait to see that again. Even though he didn’t really know what Cas was like before he got wounded, Dean can’t help thinking that having him so subdued and immobile was just _wrong_. It didn’t feel like the Cas he knew from the battlefield.

There’s no point in thinking about that any more. Cas is healed and swimming like a pro and he’s probably going to be out in the next battle. And that is fucking _awesome_. Well, except for that whole part where they’re still going to have to act like they’re fighting against each other. But at least Dean is going to get to see Cas _fighting_. He was awesome in battle before and Dean would be lying if he didn’t say that he wanted to fight Cas again.

Of course, they wouldn’t actually be fighting each other seriously. But if Dean was fake-fighting with Cas, then he’d have a better excuse for why he’s not killing any bright-fin. Cas has one heck of a reputation for avoiding death just as much as Dean has one for causing it. And he has a history of failing to kill Cas because he’s one slippery swimmer. Mother-sea, but he’s so fucking _excited_ for it. This is going to mean more time with Cas too and right now that’s pretty much the only bright point in Dean’s life. Which is kind of ironic, considering how Cas actually glows in the dark.

Honestly, Dean probably could have spent the whole meeting just watching Cas swim. It would have been a better way for them to spend their time than anything else. After all, it’s not like Dean had anything new to tell him. It’s no joke. Dean _really_ doesn’t have any fantastic news to share with Cas. In fact, he _never_ has any news. All he ever has that he could possibly share with Cas is that they’ve managed to convert a few more fang-fin between every meeting. Aside from that, there _might_ be a few half-formed suggestions of ways they could overthrow the Council.

All in all, things aren’t looking so hot for the ‘rebels’. Dean gives it his best shot, but the only good idea that he might kinda have is that they should catch the Council by surprise. Which is dumb, because _duh_. That’s the only way they’re going to beat them, _and_ it’s why they’re keeping this such a great big secret in the first place. Really though, what are they actually going to do? It’s basically guaranteed death if they try to attack the Council when they’re together. But it’s pretty much _impossible_ to try and catch them unawares on their own.

For starters, fang-fin are _always_ on guard. It’s fucking _hard_ to catch one by surprise when they’re on their own. They know that’s when they’re at their most vulnerable, so they’re always pulsing echoes into the water around them and they’re always focused on what their sense are telling them. So, yeah. It’s pretty hard, if not impossible, to sneak up on a fang-fin. Add to that the fact that the Council is always together in pairs or at the very least surrounded by a group of their protective little minions, and impossible just becomes a whole different level of don’t-even-think-about-it.

Mother-sea, but that’s not even thinking about how hard it’s going to be to fight them anyways.

 _(Why?)_ Cas probes the edges of his mind with curiosity when Dean explains why their not-even-really-a-plan just isn’t going to work. _(Your Council aren’t gods, Dean. They’re just fin-kin.)_

 _(Yeah, but they’re the **best** fighters in the colony.)_ He points out, mentally swatting Cas’s curiosity out of the channels of their link. Thinking about how much he _doesn’t_ have to share is making him grumpy. It means that their meeting is, once again, going to feel way too short and he’s not looking forward to having to say goodbye already.

The kin-connection fills with a doubtful amusement as Cas rolls backward in place, probably as a stand in for rolling his eyes. He hasn’t stayed still since before Dean showed up, though he’s not complaining. _(I sincerely doubt that they’re **the** –)_

Whoa there. No. Just – just no. _(I’m serious, Cas. Fang-fin only get on our Council by beating the ever loving shit out of everyone else – whether they want the position or not.)_ Dean crosses his arms and tries _really_ hard not to take at least some delight in how that brings Cas’s amusement to a quick and sudden stop. _(Literally only the very best of our fighters make it. Strength, skill, smarts. Those are what gets you on the Council.)_

It’s not even a surprise that his explanation is met with outrage. _(That’s no way to find someone to rule the colony! It takes more than that to –)_ He comes to a stop too and all of his fans are flared unhappily. It’s kind of – no. Nevermind.

 _(I **know**.) _ Dean sighs and shakes his head. Sometimes he wishes that he could go back to when he didn’t think about how broken his colony is with its ways. _(That’s just how it’s always been done, and it needs to change. I want to be a part of helping that.)_ Even if it’s the last thing he ever does.

And just like that, Cas’s mind calms down again. His fans all fold in and the ruffled fans along his tail ripple to keep him floating. Now he’s gone back to being _curious_ , but at least this time he’s staying in one place. _(Is that part of the plan?)_

 _(Once we overthrow them?)_ He shrugs and scratches at the back of his neck. _(Yeah, definitely. Shit like this is just going to happen again if we don’t make some changes.)_

Whatever happens to Cas’s face right now can’t really be considered a smile, can it? It’s all in his eyes and not on his lips and it’s nice, but seriously what does it take to make Cas actually _smile_? Either way, Dean still likes it when he looks at him like that. _(I’m sure that my Council and my colony will do everything that we can to help you once I can get them to actually trust you.)_

 _(That would be great.)_ Of course that would only happen in a perfect world, but Dean can hope. _(Though I **really** hope that we manage to do that before both colonies destroy each other.)_

Determination fills the kin-connection as Cas’s hands bunch into fists. _(I absolutely refuse to let that happen.)_ His lips pull back into a snarl. _(My Council will come around soon enough. They’re just being – cautious. I can’t blame them for that after two seasons of war. But when they **do** decide to give you and the rebels a chance, everything will get better.)_

Holy shit. They are _so_ lucky to have Cas on their team. Some of the other rebels might not see it, but Dean does. He twitches his tail to drift closer so he can put his hand on Cas’s shoulder and give it a little squeeze. _(Hey, don’t worry about it so much. It’s only been a little more than one rotation since you got home, right?)_

Surprise flickers through the kin-connection and Cas’s side-fans flick out. A single swirl of delight twists through their link as Cas actually almost possibly _smiles_ at him. The corner of his mouth twitches up slightly and Dean is way too happy about it. Even more than that, he’s actually pretty damn pleased that he made Cas happy just by using one of _his_ words.

Dean huffs and pulls away from Cas before absolutely nothing happens at all. What was he talking about again? Oh, right! _(You’ve been working at your Council every day since you got back. You’re doing your best and we’re doing ours. It’s no surprise to anyone that they’re taking a while to accept the truth. It’ll happen soon enough.)_ And it is taking _all_ of Dean’s power not to be ridiculously impatient.

 _(We can only hope.)_ Cas sighs and flips over to float on his back. He hangs in the water for a few minutes of a silence that Dean actually doesn’t mind too much. When he’s ready to talk again, he flips onto his stomach. _(If I could arrange it, what do you suppose the chances are that you and a few of the other rebels would want to meet with my Council?)_

Is that actually possible? That could be a game changer right there. _(I’m all for it if your Council is willing.)_ He grins and perks up a bit, letting just a little bit of his budding excitement into the kin-connection. _(If you can swing it, I’ll get Sam and Ellen to come with. They’re both **way** more diplomatic than I am, and I’ve got that whole reputation thing going on.)_ But he still plans to be there. Nothing in this ocean is going to stop him from making nice with the bright-fin and _changing_ that reputation.

Amusement dances through their link and that smile is back in Cas’s eyes. His thoughts take a teasing quality, both agreeing and not agreeing at the same time. _(That is an excellent idea.)_ Maybe Cas has more faith in Dean’s ability to not make an idiot of himself in front of the bright-fin Council. It sure would be nice if that were the truth. _(And it helps that you’ve already played a rather large part in swaying the Council’s decisions.)_

Dean arches one of his eyebrows and pulses confusion into the kin-connection. To his understanding, he hasn’t done much of anything.

 _(Remind me again of how many members of your division has stopped killing my kin?)_ Pride edges along Cas’s thoughts and Dean’s stomach feels like it’s swimming loop-de-loops.

He shrugs and glances away. Suddenly it’s feeling a little too hard to meet Cas’s eyes. _(I dunno. Most of them, probably? We’re working on the rest.)_

That pride grows again and Cas starts swimming circles around him. _(Exactly. And you know what else helps?)_ He doesn’t wait for Dean to answer. _(It is **immensely** helpful that there are multiple reports that a certain **green-eyed** fang-fin hasn’t killed a single bright-fin since I gave the Council my report. I remind them about that every time I meet with them.)_

Oh sweet Mother-sea. Dean doesn’t even want to think about telling him how hard it’s been to stick to that. It’s not that Dean _wants_ to kill, because he doesn’t. That’s the absolute last thing on his mind now. Fighting is in his blood, but it actually disgusts him to think about killing any of the bright-fin anymore. His problem with not killing them now is how hard it is to keep coming up with excuses for _why_ he’s not performing as well as he used to.

Dean has had more than a few battles since the cave and he hasn’t killed anything more than his meals in that time. It’s an impressive feat, given who and what he is. And Dean might be just a little bitter over the fact that the Council apparently hasn’t taken notice of it. They haven’t called him in to ask why his death count has dropped. In fact, the only people who _do_ care are the members of his division that come and ask. He always takes them to Sam and the others and they swim away as a convert.

Besides, it’s not like it was easy to kill a bright-fin before he met Cas. That damn rescue squad made it really hard to finish off anyone he was fighting back when he was still out for bright-fin blood. It’s impossible to kill anyone now that he’s actively trying _not_ to hurt them. And part of that might be out of fear for what Cas would do to him if he heard that Dean was back to his old ways. So far, it’s been fine with just getting into a fight and scaring off anyone he ends up squaring off against. Dean hasn’t spilled a single drop of blood since he got back to fighting. There’s been smacks with his tail, but that’s really about as far as he gets .

A smile – the biggest smile Cas has ever given him – tilts his lips. _(Thank you, Dean.)_ He comes to a stop in front of him and grabs both of Dean’s hands. _(You kept your promise.)_

Wow, oh _wow_. Dean’s arms feel like they’re tingling as Cas squeezes his hands. He jerks them free and swims back to put some space between him and Cas. _(Aw, c’mon. It wasn’t that big of a promise.)_ There’s a blush building in his cheeks and Dean has never been more thankful that Cas’s glow is dimmed so much that he can’t see it.

 _(Don’t be so modest.)_ Cas’s praise is laced with appreciation and he’s making it _really_ hard for Dean to hold still right now. _(You had quite the blood soaked reputation and now you haven’t killed a single one of my kin since we left the cave.)_ He drifts closer and Dean swims back again, his heart pounding too hard in his chest. _(I can’t thank you enough for actually **believing** Sam and the others when we told you. And for making the effort to be a better fin-kin.)_

Now that blush is actually _burning_ under his skin. Dean has never felt this warm before and he’s not sure if he likes it or hates it. And his stomach feels weird. It keeps curling up on itself every time Cas gets close or smiles at him. As happy as he is to be getting this kind of attention, things are starting to get confusing and he doesn’t know what the fuck is causing it.

 _(Yeah, yeah, that’s enough.)_ Dean breaks away from Cas to swim circles around him, making sure that he stays at arm’s length.

 _(Oh really?)_ That snort is probably the closest thing to a laugh Cas has. _(I thought you of all fin-kin would enjoy being praised.)_

He shrugs and flashes a grin at Cas. _(I do, but there are other things we could talk about.)_ Things that don’t involve whatever it is that Cas is doing to make Dean’s insides feel like he swallowed a whole bellyful of shock-eels.

_(Like what?)_

Damn. Dean was hoping that Cas would have a suggestion. _(Like...)_ Fuck. Think. Think. Think. Shit, what could they talk about? There’s – uh – There’s... He doesn’t have a clue. Last time they met, they talked about the differences in the games that they used to play when they were hatchlings. _(Like – uh – I don’t know. Do you want to hear about the different places that I’ve been?)_

Immediately, Cas perks up. All of his fans start to flex and excitement sears through the kin-connection. The only time Dean sees him get this excited is when they start talking about new things. Apparently Cas _really_ likes learning about new fang-fin things – especially all the things that have happened _outside_ of the territory and long before the war. Maybe Cas is one of those fin-kin who craves adventure and he just doesn’t get it here?

 _(Yes, please!)_ He finds the nearest rock and sits on it, excitement thrumming through the kin-connection while he waits for Dean to find a place to start his story.

And if Dean is maybe a little relieved that he found something they could talk about, well, no one needs to know. Especially not Cas. If Cas knew that Dean wanted their meetings to be longer, he might not like that. It’s not a risk Dean is willing to take. He likes these meetings, and getting to see Cas. He likes the break it gives him from his colony. And he’s not going to admit that to anyone but himself.

* * *

With Dean’s well wishes for a speedy recovery still fresh in his mind, Castiel makes his way back to the colony. It’s not as long a trip now that he can swim properly, but it’s still not a very pleasant journey and Castiel never looks forward to it. Every meeting since the first has ended with Dean telling him that he should heal quickly. It feels oddly good to know that Dean is so concerned with his well being, even though it’s not necessary now because Castiel should be cleared for returning to battle any day now. He plans to appeal to the healers as soon as the new day dawns.

It would be nice to give Dean that news when they meet next, and even better if it was sooner than their three days between meetings. Castiel almost hopes that he’ll be able to surprise Dean on the battlefield. How happy would that make him? He hopes it would be a nicer surprise. It might be a bit dangerous for them to talk on the battlefield, but Castiel still can’t wait for it to happen. He wants to see firsthand the changes Dean has made with how he fights.

While Dean hopes that he will heal quickly, Castiel has different parting words. It doesn’t feel nearly as strange as it should to tell Dean – _green-eyes_ , at that – to stay safe. He’s a strong fighter and Castiel doesn’t doubt that he doesn’t need such wishes, but he gives them nonetheless. They’re _friends_ now. Castiel actually likes Dean, to some extent. It would hurt just as much as if it were a bright-fin if anything happened to him on the battlefield.

Castiel dwells on all that he learned this evening on his swim back to the colony. It’s all that he has to do when the silence is overbearing. He has to be careful about joining the colony’s kin-connection when he gets back so he doesn’t cause suspicion. But worrying about that is bothersome and he’d much rather think about the different fish he’s never seen before that Dean showed him in his memories. He’d rather think about the clear waters and great reefs that Dean has been through, where even at the bottom of a deep area there was still bright-pearl’s light.

It was of no surprise to hear that Dean’s colony didn’t stay in that area for long, and that they hid themselves during the day and only ventured out under the darkness of the night, swimming where the light of the pale-pearl didn’t reach. But Castiel can’t imagine what the ocean floor must have looked like lit up in the light of bright-pearl. It must have been amazing, and he so sorely wishes he could have seen it outside of Dean’s fuzzy memories of the area.

On the bright side, he got to learn more – both about Dean and about the ocean outside of his territory. To be quite honest, the highlight of Castiel’s days are the ones when he gets to meet with Dean. They’re some of the only excitement that he gets at the time. Partially because he’s technically not supposed to be doing it, and partially because he actually feels like he’s _doing something_ to try and end this war. It doesn’t really feel like he’s getting anywhere with his constant attempts to try and convince the Council that the rebels are good and that this _isn’t_ some kind of trap.

Aside from his meetings with Dean, Castiel only gets to be away from the colony by claiming that he needs time to ‘meditate’. But that requires actually going off to find somewhere he can be alone. Day in and day out, Castiel’s days are filled with talking. If he’s not stuck in seemingly endless boring meetings with the Council, then he’s being hounded by colony kin who want to talk to him about his time with the rebels. He doesn’t even get the joy of commanding his garrison. They’re nowhere near the trench anymore and Uriel is in command of them until Castiel is allowed to return to battle. Thankfully, that’s

If asked, Castiel would never admit that he looks forward to his meetings with Dean from the moment that the most current one ends. His only wish is that the meetings were longer – or, at the least, more frequent. Castiel has rarely wished for anything harder than he does that. He gets to be away from the colony _and_ he gets to strengthen his friendship with Dean, along with his relationship with the rebels.

Once their business is out of the way, and there is rarely a lot of that, they’ve taken to making conversation instead of heading their separate ways. And Castiel _loves_ those conversations. It’s nice to see Dean get excited about talking about something. He gestures with his hands and swims around quite a bit when he speaks. And the content of their conversations is exactly what Castiel wanted so much to learn about before this whole war occurred.

They haven’t had too many meetings since the cave, but by the third they were finding means of staying together longer. Castiel enjoys hearing about the rest of the ocean and Dean is fascinated by his stories about how he keeps himself entertained while living in just one place. As a nomad, Dean is apparently mystified by such a thing. It’s understandable, since he has never stayed in one place for such a long period of time before.

Despite the war, Castiel still holds out hope that the fang-fin will stay here. If their plans work and they can stop the fang-fin Council, the entire colony could move into the trench. And then Castiel would have new friends that he could learn from, and he could teach Dean and the rest of the rebels so much about how to live here permanently. For the first time since the war started, Castiel can actually see a happy ending ahead of them. A new hope has started to burn in his chest and it isn’t much different from the one he had when he first learned that there were new fin-kin in the area.

Now he’s looking forward to the end of the war all the more. Not only does it mean that he might get all that he wanted before, and that he’ll have new friends, but his colony will finally be safe again. And one of the best reasons of all will be that Dean will stop sharing _those_ feelings. They’re not exactly _bad_ , per se, but Castiel can only stand feeling Dean’s regret for so long.

It’s one of the few constants he’s noticed about their few meeting so far. Dean’s regret is always a background emotion in the kin-connection. Castiel tries to ignore it as best as he can, but it’s extremely difficult. Whenever he notices it, he can’t help feeling like he should do something to alleviate it. He can’t bring himself to actually _forgive_ Dean, since it’s much too soon for that, but he wants to do _something_. Besides, when would be an appropriate time in their conversation to even say it?

And yet... Castiel still feels bad whenever the kin-connection is closed between them without him saying anything. That uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his belly always leaves him feeling extremely confused. Especially when he watches Dean head back to his colony, swimming away into the dark of the deep where Castiel’s echoes don’t reach. Their partings wouldn’t be so bad if he just didn’t feel so _confused_ without fully knowing _why_.

Which is exactly the reason why Castiel hates the swim back home. It was already bad enough that the silence in his head leaves him with nothing but his thoughts, and now his thoughts keep focusing on the things he wishes they wouldn’t. This is the _worst_ and Castiel can’t wait until he’s home again and he can start focusing on other things again – like sleep, the Council, and hopefully finally getting back to protecting his colony out where they need it the most.

*

Castiel is delighted beyond reason when the healers tell him he’s safe to finally be back in charge of his garrison. Uriel was doing a fantastic job in his place, but now that Castiel is healed, everyone is happy to see him back where he belongs. His end-fans are still a little tender along the edges, and especially the line where it healed. That will fade eventually, but right now it’s a reminder that he needs to be careful. Any further damage to his end-fans might ruin what healing he’s done.

Oh, but it does feel absolutely amazing to be back on the training field with his garrison. It could only be better if there was no war waiting for him. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, but Castiel is happy nonetheless to be surrounded by friends again. He can stretch his muscles properly without having a healer berate him for swimming too fast or fancily it in the trench, and he doesn’t need to wait until his secret meetings with Dean to do it.

Thankfully, no one notices that he’s a little disappointed to miss the first battle the fang-fin instigate after his return to his garrison. It happens clear on the side of the territory from where they’re stationed and the two garrisons there have it completely under control. In fact, Castiel doesn’t find out about the battle until it’s already over. If he’d gone, then he could have met with Dean a whole two day earlier than planned. Of course, that would have only been if Dean’s division had been a part of that battle.

Castiel doesn’t miss fighting. And he certainly doesn’t miss seeing blood and death all around him. But he wants to see the difference the rebels are making in their own colony. And he _does_ miss saving lives. He misses being there to ensure the safety of his colony as best as he can in the midst of a war. He misses actually _doing_ something, and even training alongside his garrison doesn’t make him feel like he’s making a difference anymore. In fact, Castiel feels like he makes more of a difference when he meets Dean in the middle of the night for a fifth time.

It’s a bit of a surprise to find that even Dean was disappointed when Castiel wasn’t a part of that battle. It’s even more of a surprise when they _do_ meet at the next battle and the first feeling that breaches the kin-connection when they make it is delight – and it’s all stemming from Dean. Of course, he didn’t meet him right away during his first return to battle. At first, Castiel spent the majority of the battle directing his garrison as the rescue teams – which actually turned out to be largely unnecessary.

Now that he’s back on the battlefield with the familiar weight of his sword and dagger on a kelp belt, Castiel can see just how few of the fang-fin are actively trying to kill the bright-fin. When he realizes that, he also realizes that this must be Dean’s division. The majority of them aren’t using claws or fangs or even the stone weapons the fang-fin are so fond of. From what he can tell, they’re simply trying to push their way past the bright-fin and into their territory. If they can force the bright-fin back and out of this area, they can claim it for themselves and get just a little closer to the trench. Though that hasn’t yet happened in their two seasons of war.

The first member of Dean’s division and the rebels that Castiel runs into is Jo. It’s completely by accident of course and they circle each other a few times. Jo reaches out to him first, her mind brushing against his as she darts close. Her swipe misses completely, but Castiel knows she’s doing it to try and look like she’s fighting. They don’t exchange words, and they barely share thoughts. It’s nothing more than a mutual acknowledgement of the secrets only they know.

When Castiel tries to give Jo the slip, she lets him go without issue. They both have their own things to do, and anyone watching would find it weird that Castiel is staying in a fight. Before his disappearance, Castiel never stayed long enough to fight. He was only ever a distraction so that others could escape. Which is why he doesn’t stay around with any of the other rebels that he encounters while he crosses the battlefield, commanding his garrison where he needs to.

There’s just a brief glance between them, the touch of minds in the kin-connection, and then they break away to go about their business. Castiel avoids anyone he doesn’t recognize and anyone who doesn’t touch his thoughts. All the rebels know who he is, regardless of whether or not Castiel can remember having met them before. The glow pattern on his tail _is_ rather distinct, after all, and he has encountered more than one fang-fin today who has looked surprised to see him. Clearly not everyone in Dean’s division knew that he survived the rockslide.

 _(Castiel!)_ Uriel’s urgent thoughts distract him from circling with another rebel. _(Azuriel is calling for assistance. She’s not sure if she can hold her own against Green-eyes and wants some back up.)_

And now Castiel knows exactly where Dean is. _(She doesn’t need any help against Dean. He’s not going to hurt her.)_ Despite that, he’s already breaking away to head in Azuriel’s direction. _(But let her know I’m on my way. I’ll take over for her.)_

Halfway there, Castiel remembers that he’s not supposed to act like he doesn’t know Dean. For everyone’s safety – especially Dean’s – he needs to maintain the illusion that they’re still enemies. And that is the reason that he swims head on into Dean’s side the moment he catches sight of him. He probably shouldn’t be nearly as happy as he feels by getting to see Dean again so soon after their fifth secret meeting, but he doesn’t share that at all when they make the kin-connection.

Azuriel is already gone by the time they manage to untangle themselves. Dean actually snarls at Castiel and swipes at him, but it’s all an act. There’s nothing but delight radiating through their link and it’s much too easy for Castiel to dodge his claws. Oh, yes, this battle just got far more interesting – which isn’t actually a good thing, but Castiel is still happy for it.

 _(I seem to recall that you were better than that. I hope your time in the cave didn’t diminish your fighting capabilities, Dean.)_ He teases as he continues to dodge any and all punches and claws.

Dean growls and his tail cuts through the water in a sharp arc. He darts forward faster than Castiel expects and tackles him again, sending them both rolling toward the sea floor. _(I’ll have you know that I just saved the tail of that bright-fin girl. I was chasing her with another fang-fin and I sent her off to help someone else. She wasn’t one of us and would’ve torn your friend limb from limb if she caught her.)_

Castiel has to bite back a smile – something that is getting very difficult to do around Dean. _(Thank you. I’ll make sure Azuriel knows that. It will help to convince the rest of the colony and the Council.)_

 _(That’s exactly why I did it.)_ It’s only for a brief moment, but Dean’s snarl almost looks like a smile before he twists away. _(And be careful with my side, okay? It’s a little tender.)_

And that’s the moment when Castiel notices the barely healed gash across Dean’s ribs. It’s just a shadow on his side in the light of Castiel’s glow, but it’s there and seeing it makes something in his stomach twinge almost painfully. Someone – likely a bright-fin – hurt Dean and that does nothing but inspire anger in him. Whoever did it should know that Dean is _good_ and that he’s Castiel’s _friend_.

How had that never occurred to him before? There are bright-fin who still don’t believe him, and that means Dean’s life really is in danger during every battle. And the rest of the rebels aren’t safe out here. Castiel doesn’t know how he managed to forget that, considering that they’re in the middle of a war. Somehow he just – he _assumed_ that now that the entire colony knew that he was saved by a group of fang-fin that they would have stopped just like the rebels have.

But even that isn’t enough to dampen how excited he is to be back here again. Now he knows what else needs to be fixed within his own colony and he can start with his own garrison. Anna shouldn’t be too hard to convince to get her to make her own garrison stop too. And Balthazar might not lead his own, but he has some sway with his companions. The other three garrisons will require some more work, but Castiel is confident that he’ll be able to do it – especially with Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel on his side. Once he actually manages to completely sway them.

 _(How’s it feel to be back in the thick of things?)_ Dean’s amusement dances through the kin-connection just as easily as they dance around each other, twisting and curving in a dance that would look like they’re fighting to the untrained eye.

 _(I must admit, I did miss it.)_ But that’s not to say that he enjoys it. He’s just happy to be helping his colony again. And it feels amazing to have his blood pumping again. They might not be fighting seriously right now, but Castiel is more than happy to be facing Dean on the field again. _(Have I ever mentioned that you’re quite the fighter?)_

That brings Dean’s thoughts to a stuttering stop. The kin-connection shivers slightly as Dean pulls his emotions from the link, hiding whatever it is he’s feeling now. All that remains is his surprise, but even that gets pulled quickly. He’s even stopped swimming and it takes him a moment to start again.

 _(I – uh – yeah, thanks.)_ Dean ducks his head and twists away, as if he’s going to swim away. But he turns back and lashes out as soon Castiel goes after him. _(You’re not too shabby yourself. I’ve been waiting to face off against you again since the cave.)_ And that was a whole two rotations ago.

Once again, Castiel holds back his grin. Those are becoming far too common for him, and they’re extremely misplaced considering that he’s in the midst of a war. _(Would you like to fight more seriously then?)_ Though he’s certain he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Dean in any sense now that they have actually become friends.

 _(Not right now.)_ Dean shakes his head and false snarls at Castiel again. _(I can’t be as candid as I want to be for a fight like that. We can spar another time – maybe the next time we meet?)_

It’s a hopeful suggestion and not one that Castiel feels he has it in him to decline. _(I’d like that.)_ He _would_ like to see the extent of Dean’s abilities now, without the risk of death like he would have a season ago. Even though he’s never actually _fought_ Dean properly before.

The kin-connection gets pumped full of more happiness that Castiel would expect from Dean for such a simple thing. It’s enough to catch him by surprise, and Dean takes advantage of it. In the blink of an eye, he twists around unexpectedly – so quickly that Castiel doesn’t have the time to react and he swims right into him. Dean’s arms are around him in an instant and he rolls them both, beating the water with his tail and driving them downwards. They’re not too far from the sea floor and the breath is knocked out of Castiel the moment his back hits it.

 _(Got’cha pinned!)_ Dean’s grin is the only thing reflected in Castiel’s glow and his amusement is all that fills the kin-connection. _(One. Two. Three.)_ Is he _really_ counting how long he’s pinning Castiel for? That’s just ridiculous! Only children do that. _(Four. Five. Six.)_

Castiel starts struggling, his tail thumping against the sand to try and twist out from under Dean. It’s hard to focus when he’s keenly aware that Dean is pressed against him. This feels much too different from when Dean was carrying him on their way back from the cave. He doesn’t know _how_ , but it’s enough to make Castiel’s face feel far too warm.

 _(Sev- Son of a **bitch**!)_ With a groan, Dean looks over his shoulder towards the rest of the battle. _(Orders from the big bosses. They’re calling a retreat.)_ He sighs and looks back down at Castiel with a pout. _(You got lucky this time, Cas.)_

With Dean’s grip loosened just enough, Castiel flips them easily. He slams Dean back against the sand and draws his dagger from the kelp belt around his waist. Dean’s eyes are wide in Castiel’s glow as the blade of the dagger is pressed against his throat. His heart feels like it’s in his throat at the moment and Castiel is almost holding his breath – though he’s not sure why.

 _(I would say that **you** were the lucky one, Dean.)_ He’s being cocky, but he just can’t help it. A part of him gets a thrill out of teasing Dean like this. It’s better than when he does the same with any of his siblings and he almost wishes he could do more.

After the initial surprise fades from the kin-connection, Dean’s amusement is all that remains. It burns bright in their link as Dean shoves him back so they can start circling one another again. _(I wasn’t expecting that, Cas. You’re good.)_

 _(You already told me that.)_ It feels much too good to have Dean praise him and Castiel tries to ignore the tight delight building behind his ribs.

The smile hasn’t left Dean’s lips. _(Yeah, well, it deserves to be said again.)_

Castiel makes a sharp gestures with his dagger, his sword still hanging heavy on his belt. _(Enough with the flattery. You should get going before anyone starts to suspect that you’re up to no good.)_

Dean rolls his eyes and darts past, making sure to knock Castiel’s shoulder and send him spinning. _(Yeah, yeah. I’m going, I’m going.)_ He doesn’t look back over his shoulder as he goes. _(I’ll see you in a few days, Cas. Don’t forget! Same time, same place.)_

As if Castiel could ever forget. _(Stay safe, Dean.)_ He hopes that no one will notice the slight change in Dean’s actions in this battle. _(I –)_ No, he can’t say it. Castiel wants to, but he just can’t. As much as he likes being friends with Dean now, he can’t yet say that he forgives him. _(I’ll see you later.)_

It’s the best that he can do, but it leaves an odd feeling twisting in his chest as Dean cuts the kin-connection. He watches as the fang-fin leave the area, none of them looking back. Even the bright-fin are withdrawing, except for Castiel’s garrison. They’re all waiting for his orders. With a sigh, he turns his back, heading for where they’re waiting for him.

Maybe one day he’ll actually feel that forgiveness. And maybe someday he’ll be able to tell Dean that.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(We’re going to win, Cas. I know we will.)_ He gives his shoulder a slight squeeze. Right now, he’s pretty much willing to do anything if it means he can keep seeing more of Cas’s smile. _(I promise. I’m going to stop my Council or I’m gonna die trying.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

It doesn’t matter how long it’s been or how many times they meet. None of that affects the excitement that bubbles up in Dean’s chest whenever he sneaks away from the colony to go meet with Cas. It’s not even the fact that he’s being sneaky that gets his blood pumping. _Cas_ is the whole reason behind that and Dean is well aware of it, but there’s nothing under this ocean that could get him to admit it. Right now, at least. He might do it later. Much later. So late that it might as well be never.

Honestly, Dean has actually lost track of how many times he and Cas have snuck away for these night time meetings. It doesn’t matter, really. They might as well not even have them for how much they actually talk about what they’re supposed to. At this point, they can sum up any new information in one sentence and then they spend _way_ longer together than they probably should. Dean likes it. Like, _a lot_.He likes what they talk about and just how _in_ to everything Cas is. No one has ever listened to Dean as intently as Cas does.

There’s just so much that Cas wants to know about Dean and the history of the fang-fin. He doesn’t give a damn about anything else except their history and where they’ve been and what they’ve done. At this point, Dean doesn’t even care about what he says anymore. He trusts Cas not to use anything against him or his colony. And it’s not like Dean isn’t already voluntarily telling him about when the Council is planning an assault on the bright-fin borders. He was doing that long before, anyways.

Besides, Cas tells Dean all sorts of stuff too. The only thing he doesn’t tell Dean about is current shit going on with his colony. But everything else is fair game. That includes all the stories about what it’s like for Cas to live in one place. Dean still doesn’t quite understand how Cas isn’t completely _bored_ of this place. Hasn’t he explored everything here? Seen everything there is to see? Seriously, Dean’s only been here for a couple seasons and the only interesting thing still around is the bright-fin. More specifically, Cas. But that’s beside the point.

At least everything that they _do_ talk about is super interesting. Everything about meeting Cas is so totally beyond awesome that Dean doesn’t even know where to start. All he knows is that at this point is that getting to see Cas is pretty much the only thing that makes him happy right now. It’s like their meetings are practically a break for him. It’s a break from _everything_ – all the rebels, the colony, the Council, and this whole damn war. At these meetings, it’s just him and Cas, and Dean likes it that way.

At this point Dean is willing to do basically anything to get Cas to trust him – to _forgive_ him. He knows, without a doubt, that Cas is the only one between them who still holds back. Sure, Dean hides a lot of himself in the kin-connection. But that's just fang-fin nature. And he's definitely just as open with Cas as he is with any of his other friends. Okay, maybe just a smidge more. But there's a big difference between Cas and his fang-fin friends anyways.

The rest of Dean's good ol' buddies already trust him. Especially now that they know he's definitely not going to tattle to their stupid fucking Council about what they're doing. Okay, that still stings a little. But Dean knows why they did it. He knows, he accepts it and he probably would have done the same in their position. Besides, he's already forgiven them for it, more or less. Usually he holds a grudge, but in the middle of a war when he's planning a coup against their Council, he can't really do that. So, yeah. They’re forgiven. But if they pull this shit again, Dean’s going to filet their hides.

Okay, maybe he wouldn’t _actually_ do that. Dean has so few friends that he could never bring himself to do anything to them. And of course he includes Cas in that. After all, Cas is practically one of his best friends at this point. Out of all of them, few are as easy to talk to as Cas is. And Dean doesn’t have to keep making excuses with Cas like he does the rest of his friends. Though, really, he probably doesn’t _have_ to make excuses.

Sam and the others have long since stopped asking if they can come along to these meetings. At first his go to excuse was that too many people sneaking away would be obvious. And then it was that Cas was just so used to seeing him. And now – now he should probably just give up on that. It’s not like anyone is even asking him to come along anymore. They just wave him off if any of them are awake when he leaves, and they wait for his report when he gets back.

Of course, Dean doesn’t really have anything to tell him. Cas’s Council is dragging their fins on this whole matter and it’s getting under Cas’s scales like crazy. Like, Dean _understands_ why their Council isn’t exactly jumping outta the water to meet with a fang-fin or anything, but they were all kind of hoping that Cas’s memories and his word would be enough to get them to meet with at least _one_ of them. It must be one heck of a blow to Cas’s pride to know that the Council’s distrust for the fang-fin outweighs their trust in him.

Dean knowsthat fact is eating away at Cas, so he’s kind of more than surprised to see Cas actually being _excited_ by something before he’s even there. Usually Cas doesn’t brighten up – mentally, not physically – until after he’s bitched about his brothers and the rest of the Council. Today, when Dean swims up to their meeting place, Cas is already swimming in excited circles. He’s looping and twisting and stirring up whole clouds of sand.

As soon as the kin-connection slides into place, all Dean gets from Cas is unparalleled delight. It’s something he could really get used to feeling. Dean brushes an amused curiosity against the edges of Cas’s mind. _(Hey , what’s got your scales in a twist, huh?)_

Cas turns on him in an instant, mind bright and racing with thoughts. _(The Council finally made a decisions!)_ Apparently he’s too happy to hold still, because his circles continue and this time they’re looping around Dean at dizzying speeds.

_(A good one, I’m hoping.)_

He doesn’t want to get his hopes up _too_ high, but Cas wouldn’t be this happy if it wasn’t some really good news, right? Yeah, that’s some solid thinking right there. But thinking is getting harder the more Cas swims. His display of agility is starting to make Dean’s head spin. All the bright-fin basically dance through the water like it’s not even there and it gives Dean a headache sometimes – no matter how much he likes watching Cas swim. They have a speed and gracefulness to them that the fang-fin don’t, and _that_ is what’s kept them alive this long in the war.

As a fang-fin, Dean can swim pretty darn fast on his own and he’s capable of making some pretty sharp turns without losing post of his speed. He’s absolutely _deadly_ head on, but fang-fin aren’t the fastest at reversing. Bright-fin can swim backwards almost as fast as they can swim forwards and Dean’s lucky if he can reach half his speed. Their flexible fins and the up-down motion of their tails must make all the difference. Plus, Dean’s pretty damn sure that bright-fin are also _way_ more flexible in the tails too than any fang-fin he’s ever seen.

Truthfully, he might be a little envious of them. But, again, that’s not something he’ll willingly admit to anyone. Especially not when he’s reaching out to grab Cas’s arm just so he’ll stop swimming for a few moments. _(Stop making me dizzy, Cas. Just tell me what’s up with the Council.)_

Even when he’s not swimming, Cas can’t hold still. His tail keeps rolling, making him bob in the water more than usual. Normally the ruffled fins running the length of his tail ripple to keep him steady. They’re going crazy too and all his fins keep flexing. The ones on his head are spread out and trembling, like he’s too happy to contain himself. This must be some _big_ news.

Cas must know he’s getting too excitable. He takes a deep breath and holds it before letting the water out through his gills in a long slow push. It doesn’t seem to help much physically, but the kin-connection does calm down quite a bit. There’s still joy slip-sliding all along the edges of his mind and Dean honestly hopes that it sticks around for a while. He kind of really likes seeing Cas be _happy_ for once. Sure, he’s seen him excited about learning new things, but that’s not quite the same as _this_.

 _(It’s official now!)_ Cas’s glow starts coming back, gradually at first but getting brighter the more he talks. _(We’ve been given **official** instructions that all we’re allowed to do now is **chase the fang-fin off**. We’re not permitted to engage them in actual combat. Of course, we’re allowed to defend ourselves but that’s where my rescue teams are going to be put to the test. **Everyone** will be a part of that effort now – not just a few trained individuals.)_

He starts drifting from side to side now, still not able to hold still. Dean is almost mesmerized by it. _(I know that we already weren’t supposed to kill you, but now we’re not supposed to **fight** you. They want to deny the fang-fin Council everything that they want out of this war. We’re –)_

His thoughts cut off when Dean puts both hands on his shoulders and pushes him down, guiding him back behind the rocks around them. _(Keep your cool, Cas.)_ Even though he’s ‘reprimanding’ him, Dean is still smiling and the kin-connection is alive with his amusement. _(That’s good news and all, but you’re going to get us caught out if you don’t keep that glow under control.)_

Embarrassment floods the kin-connection and Cas’s glow dims significantly. Without it, Dean can’t tell if Cas is blushing or not. He’d like to think he is. Cas pulls away and he’s much more subdued now than he was before. _(I’m sorry, I’m just – I’ve been fighting with them for too many rotations now.)_ It’s been more than a handful since they left the cave, that’s for certain. _(I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried to convince them that there’s a way to end this war, but it has to be by working with **you**.)_

In the shimmering shapes of his echoes, Dean catches Cas’s smile. It’s the widest he’s ever seen on him – all gums and teeth and it makes Cas’s nose crinkle. For a moment, that smile makes Dean’s chest feel too tight. _(I finally managed to sway Raphael and Metatron **just** enough for this. My brothers believe me more than they do, but it’s still not enough. I’ll continue to work at them until they’ll agree to finally meet with you – or Sam, or any of the rebels.)_

Dean doesn’t really know _why_ but a laugh bubbles up out of him anyway. Maybe Cas’s excitement is contagious, or maybe it’s because of Cas’s smile, but it happens and he can’t hold it in. He swims forward to loop an arm around Cas’s shoulders in a half-hug. _(That’s **great** , Cas.)_

For the second time that night, embarrassment flares bright in the kin-connection. Cas quickly ducks out from under Dean’s arm and puts space between them, his ruffled fins rippling harder than they’ve ever rippled before. It’s endearing and adorable, but Dean doesn’t think much of anything about it. He and Cas have never been really touchy-feely between them. They’ve never been physical friends unless the situation has called for it. That’s more what he’s like with his fang-fin friends, anyways.

Cas doesn’t look at him even after he starts swimming his circles again. _(Yes, well, it **is** good, but –) _His thoughts hesitate. _(The Council is being stupid.)_ An annoyed edge flares to take over the embarrassed feelings of Cas’s mind. _(Rather than meet with **you** , they want to meet with your **Council**.)_ He’s almost borderline mortified about it. _(They’ve been talking about trying that again since the beginning of the war, but after what I’ve told them I can’t understand why they would want to talk to them.)_

_(What would they tell them?)_

_(Nothing about you and the rest of the rebels.)_ He turns around quickly, eyes wide in Dean’s echoes. _(Not even Raphael or Metatron would be **that** mean. But they need to talk to **you** not to **them**.) _ Cas huffs unhappily and his tail cuts through the water angrily. _(They’re going to start leaving meeting requests for your Council at the edges of our territory.)_

Dean raises his eyebrows at the image of a stone pole sticking out of the sand fills the kin-connection. There’s a string of kelp hanging from the pole and all sorts of fish bones are tied into it. He’s never seen anything like it. According to Cas’s explanation, the number and sizes of the bones, including how close some of them are tied together, all have different meanings. The one that he shows Dean is something like a request for a meeting.

 _(That’s – wow. That’s what those things are? We had no idea. Bets were going around that it was some kind of thing that you guys were trying to use to frighten us away.)_ Amusement dances along Dean’s thoughts as he tilts his head to regard Castiel. _(We would have just sent a messenger.)_

 _(If you recall, we’ve already tried that.)_ Cas snorts and flicks his fins at him. _(But anyone that was brave enough to approach your colony was chased off. They barely escaped with their lives.)_

Good point. Dean winces on reflex. _(Yeah, well. At least **we’re** talking, right?) _ He swims close enough to make sure that Cas’s eyes are on him. _(You and me, we’re talking. And that’s good enough for this war for now. When push comes to shove, it’s **us** that’s going to stop this war.)_

The hopeful smile Cas gives him tugs at Dean’s heart. Holy shit, but he wants to see Cas smile _a lot_ more. He reaches out to touch Cas’s shoulder gently, a comforting and reassuring gesture that he just can’t stop himself from giving. Which is weird, because Dean _knows_ that they’re not the type of friends who are physical with each other. There are all sorts of other things he could do to reassure him, but how can he pick anything else when there’s the option of actually _touching_ Cas.

 _(We’re going to win, Cas. I know we will.)_ He gives his shoulder a slight squeeze. Right now, he’s pretty much willing to do anything if it means he can keep seeing more of Cas’s smile. _(I promise. I’m going to stop my Council or I’m gonna die trying.)_

Dean thought saying something like that would _please_ Cas. It’s the kind of stuff he knows he’d like to hear. You can’t get a bigger promise out of a fang-fin than having them swear to put their life on the line for you. He said that hoping it would get Cas to smile more, but it does the exact opposite. Dean has never seen a smile fall so fast before. The kin-connection vibrates with a nearly painful kind of shock and it definitely doesn’t feel _pleased_.

There’s all sorts of confusion at first, but it’s mixed with an unhealthy dose of horror. It just leaves Dean confused too. Why is Cas filling the kin-connection with this? Isn’t he happy that Dean is willing to do this for him? For all of them? How else are they going to put an end to this war if they’re not willing to risk _everything_ for it?

Cas’s smile is long gone and he’s back to glaring at Dean the same way he did when they first met in the cave. With one hard flick of his tail, he yanks himself out of Dean’s grip and out of his reach. He shakes his head and bares his teeth and Dean might be just a little afraid of the _anger_ he can feel burning through the kin-connection.

 _(I don’t want **more** lives lost.)_ A growl rumbles through the water as Cas gets up close to him again, his glow brightening in a dangerous kind of way. _(I want this war ended **without** more death.)_ Cas pokes Dean hard in the chest. Hard enough to send him sliding back. _(If you die, I will – I will – I will **never** forgive you!)_

Dean’s so surprised that his jaw drops. He can’t think of anything to do when Cas turns away and swims off in a swirl of sand. Cas goes up and over the rocks, swimming out of sight. The kin-connection is severed before Dean can react. Before he knows it, he’s left alone with nothing but his echoes and confusion to keep him company. What in the ever loving heck just happened?

Does – does Cas not want Dean to die? That’s supposed to be a good thing, isn’t it? Then why is Cas upset? Dean just made the best promise he could possibly give. All he was trying to do was make Cas smile again. This didn’t turn out at all how he wanted it to and now Cas is gone. Didn’t he want to spend more time together tonight like they’ve been doing? Dean just got here and Cas has already left. What the _hell_ , Cas? As if Dean didn’t already have enough trouble understanding the way bright-fin work.

His trip back to the fang-fin colony is done mostly in confusion. And he’s _really_ fucking disappointed too. Dean was really looking forward to getting to spend half the night hanging out with Cas and talking about all sorts of things. Now that’s been ripped out from under him and Dean feels like he’s been left endlessly spinning head over tail. Up is down and down is up and nothing feels like it makes sense anymore. He was trying to do something _good_ for Cas and he somehow managed to screw that up just like he messes _everything_ up some way or another.

If there’s one thing that pisses Dean off more than anything, it’s not understanding something. And Cas left before Dean could talk to him about it. Now he’s all alone and he hates it. It’s already bad enough that he has to swim all the way here and back alone, but he was hoping to be connected with Cas together for more than a handful of moments. Seriously. What the _fuck_? Dean doesn’t understand Cas’s reaction at all. Sort of. Okay, maybe he does just a little but – he scares him a bit. And he’s not one hundred percent sure _why_.

Cas doesn’t want him to die? He’ll never forgive him if he dies? Does that mean that at some point – hopefully soon – Cas _will_ forgive him? And then what? What happens when Cas forgives him? It’s not like they can be best friends forever. Once the war ends, the fang-fin are probably going to leave this area. They’ve caused enough problems for the bright-fin, so he’s not really expecting that they’re going to be allowed to _stay_ here. The bright-fin probably can’t wait to see their tails disappearing into the deeps. It’ll be a good day for bright-fin when they never have to see another fang-fin again.

The long swim back to his colony has Dean bouncing back and forth between confused, angry, and just this side of hopeful. It’s the kind of hope that just leaves him even _more_ confused – or just in straight up denial. And that makes him even _angrier_. Then he comes full circle again. Dean is _not_ a happy calm when he reaches the colony, and he’s even less happy to find that half the divisions are awake in preparation for a late night battle that he hadn’t been told about.

Great, just fucking _great_. Cas is going to be surprised by that and then he’s going to think that Dean was keeping information from him. That’s the last thing Dean wants to do right now. What he _wants_ is to not _ruin_ something for once in his miserable life. His friendship with Cas was something that was the only thing that brought him some measure of _happiness_ and now it’s nothing but anger and confusion and what the hell is he going to do to fix this?

Surprise, surprise, Sam is the first to touch his mind when Dean reaches their shared sleep area. He drifts right under their shelf before Sam even makes it back from where Jess usually sleeps. _(Not so great good news. Our division isn’t a part of tonight’s attack.)_

 _(That’s fan-fucking-tastic.)_ Dean groans and settles on his stomach. That would explain why he didn’t hear about it earlier. Oh well. There’s nothing he can do but hope that whoever’s division _is_ going in has at least a few of their rebels in their midst.

There’s something more on Sam’s mind, tickling along its edges. All it takes is one well timed glare the moment Sam drifts down into sight for him to ask the question Dean knows he’s dying to ask. _(Alright, alright. That was – uh – **quick**. So, how did the meeting with Cas go? Anything new?)_

Dean shrugs and crosses his arms on the sandy floor under their overhang. There is something new, but Dean’ll be fucked if he wants to tell Sam about _everything_. And even though that’s what he decides right now, Dean knows without a doubt that he’s going to be telling Sam all about it eventually. There’s no secret that Dean has that Sam doesn’t know about. So, why delay the inevitable? Dean sighs and opens his most recent memories to the kin-connection.

As soon as Sam is brought up to speed on the bright-fin Council’s decision and Cas’s weird behaviour, Dean closes almost everything in their link again. It’s just the normal kin-connection filled with Dean’s usual levels of agitation. Sam, on the other hand is just about ready to start doing back flips. It’s the first good news they’ve had in ages, after all.

 _(That’s **great** , Dean!)_ Sam has to bite back a laugh and Dean knows he’s forcing himself to hold still. _(I can’t wait to tell the others. They’ll be happy to hear we finally have some actual **progress**.)_

 _(Yeah, sure.)_ Dean huffs a harsh rush of water through his gills. Fuck this. There’s no way he’s going to get any sleep tonight. Not with this much shit going on inside his head. _(I’m going to go kill things.)_

Confusion fills the kin-connection as Dean shoves his way past Sam. There hunting grounds are the best place he’s going to get that done, and he does like to eat when he’s unhappy. Hell, he likes to eat all the time and it doesn’t matter the reason.

Even though Dean obviously wants to kind of be alone right now, Sam still tags along after him. _(How come?)_ Great. Now he’s got Sam swimming just off his tail and he’s all _worried_. That serves Dean right for sharing his memories without including his emotions.

Seriously, though, Sam should know by now that Dean only wants to kill things when he’s upset. Dean rolls his eyes and flicks his tail hard, trying to shoo Sam away. _(Because I’m **mad** , duh. Go back to Jess and get some sleep.)_

 _(Are you mad at Cas?)_ Sam offers cautiously. He’s not following so closely anymore, but Dean can still feel him in the water, drifting not too far back.

Dean grits his teeth and his hands curl into fists. _(And now I’m getting mad at **you**.) _ And he doesn’t want to be. Just like he doesn’t want to be mad at Cas, or at himself. It’s fang-fin nature to be hot blooded, but that’s what got them in this trouble in the first place. He needs to learn how to keep his head cool and have better control over his emotions when he’s frustrated by something. Dean needs to learn to be – to be _himself_ and not who he’s been taught to be.

For a few long, glorious moments, Sam is quiet. If Dean’s skin didn’t tingle with the knowledge that his brother is just a tail length or two behind him, he’d almost think that Sam was gone. But of course he isn’t. When something is wrong with Dean, Sam always sticks around until he’s positive that it’s not something he can help with. He’s a good little brother like that. Little being a figurative term here. Dean might never get over the fact that his baby brother grew up to be longer than him.

 _(What’s the off chance that this is going to be something that you want to talk about?)_ Sam slides the question into the kin-connection with the kind of caution he would use if he was approaching one of the Council members.

The answer doesn’t even need words. Dean fills their link with his overpowering desire to just be _alone_ right now. He wants to think and not think, both at the same time, and he can’t do either with Sam slip sliding around in his head. And especially not when he’s brimming with all kinds of worry. This isn’t something that Sam can fix anyways. Dean fucked up and he needs to come to terms with certain facts. Some of those facts he knows and some of them he doesn’t. But he needs to do it on his own.

 _(Fine, fine.)_ Sam sighs and Dean knows the moment he stops following him. _(Go hunt your midnight snack. But I’ve just got one more thing to tell you.)_ He pauses in the kind of way that makes Dean suspect that he’s fishing for attention. With what comes next, he knows he’s not. _(Just be careful out there, okay? Alistair is looking for you and he’s not in one of his more charming moods.)_

There it is. The bright-pearl on top of this truly _spectacular_ night. What else could go wrong now?

Dean sighs and swings around into a stop. _(What’s he want with me?)_

Sam doesn’t even bother to hide his delight at having stopped Dean from swimming away. He swims close enough to touch, and despite his thoughts, his face is deadly serious. _(We’re not completely sure, but the word in the kin-connection is that he wants to talk to you about the reports.)_

And there’s only one report that the Council gives a shit about. _(The death rates.)_

 _(Exactly.)_ Whatever delight Sam had is long gone. It’s nothing but worry now. _(Do you think he’s going to ask why we’re not killing anyone like we used to?)_ Even though he says ‘ _we_ ’, Dean knows he means _him_ – and the majority of their division. But still _him_.

He shrugs and runs his hands through his hair. It tickles the webbing between his fingers. Dean glances over his shoulder towards the hunting grounds and then back towards the colony and where the Council is waiting for him. Sam’s right. That’s the most logical and obvious choice for what they want to talk about. The only thing Dean has going for him right now – the only thing that might save his neck during this talk – is that his division isn’t the only one with declining death counts.

Honestly, he can’t really speak for the other divisions and why _they’re_ not getting the same kills that they used to. But his own division is mostly made up of rebels now. There’s maybe a handful left that they’ve been working on. And they’ve got other rebels spread throughout the other divisions. Nothing near to the amount he’s got in his own, of course. They’re doing their part where they can, but it’s mostly thanks to the bright-fin that everyone is having a hard time meeting the Council’s demands with the bloodshed in this war.

Of course, Dean can’t breathe a single word of that to the Council. The only thing he’s going to be able to do if – _when_ they ask about it is to blame it on the bright-fin. It’ll be enough of the truth that they shouldn’t be able to notice that he’s hiding the whole truth – hopefully. The bright-fin _are_ getting more crafty, after all. And with ‘Swirly-blue’ back in action, the bright-fin are all saving tail just as much as they did before he ‘died’.

Oh, but that’s a good memory and Dean barely manages to hold back a smile. He’s nothing short of delighted when the thinks back to just how _angry_ the Council was to hear that Ruby and her little cohort of buddies had _lied_ to them. Swirly-blue was reported dead and the Council just about lost their heads when it got back to them that he was not only alive, but doing well out on the battlefield again. Those three ‘ _liars_ ’ are going to be carrying the scars from their punishment for the rest of their lives.

A very, very, _very_ small part of Dean tells him that he shouldn’t be so happy about that. But the rest of him is downright _pleased_. That’s what they get for trying to kill Cas in the first place. They’re just lucky that Dean can’t do anything about what they did without everyone getting suspicious of him. But just knowing that he fights alongside fang-fin who actually hurt _Cas_ makes his blood start to boil. Dean actually has to struggle not to think about it on most days when he catches sight of Ruby, Tom, or Brady.

 _(Dean.)_ Sam drifts close enough to nudge his shoulder and nudge him right out of his thoughts. _(What are you going to do now?)_

He groans and rubs his hand over his face. Right now, all Dean wants to do is find a hole somewhere that he can curl up in and never come out. After this confusing mess with Cas, he doesn’t want to have to deal with his mockery of a Council. He just wants to be left alone. But he can’t even have that. Is there _anything_ that Dean wants that he’s going to actually be allowed to have?

_(Did anyone tell him where I was?)_

Sam shakes his head. _(Just that you went out hole-digging for crabs. No one’s going to doubt that since they’re your favourite and you keep bitching about those ones we used to catch back when we –)_

A sharp flick through the kin-connection is enough to cut Sam off. _(Yeah, yeah, I know_.) But this plays in his favour. _(If you see his flunkies, tell them that I didn’t find any crabs and that I’m heading to the hunting grounds now to work off some steam.)_

A frown creases Sam’s face in Dean’s echoes. _(You’re not going to go straight to Alistair? He’s not going to like that.)_

 _(You don’t have to tell them that you talked to me. Just that you heard I was last seen at the hunting grounds, okay?)_ Dean turns on his tail, twisting to head off in the right direction again. _(I need to sink my teeth into something **before** I’m forced to deal with this shitheads.)_

Amusement dances along the edges of the kin-connection, though it’s almost overshadowed by Sam’s worry. _(Do you think you’ll need back up?)_

Probably. _(They’ll just send you away anyways. I doubt they’re going to do anything serious, Sam.)_

It’s not like he has any control over the bright-fin or their tactics. And if the Council is going to hold that against him, then he’s damn well going to take one or two of those bastards down with him. Cas might never forgive him for it, but at least Dean’ll be giving him and Sam and all the rest of the rebels a fighting chance to change this colony for the good.

Dean waves over his shoulder as gets farther from Sam. _(I’ll see ya later. Meet me back at our sleeping spot. I’ll probably be too tired to talk much, but at least you’ll know I’ll be fine.)_

Sam’s well wishes almost don’t make it before Dean cuts the kin-connection. The silence floods in again, pressing in against his mind like the weight of the entire ocean is bearing down on him. Dean does his best to ignore it. He’s used to it, after all. This is what he has to endure twice a night whenever he goes to meet with Cas. Dean hates it, but it’s worth it. Right now it might not be, but meeting with Cas _makes_ the quiet worthwhile.

Tonight, not so much.

To top it all off, he’s got a pending meeting with Alistair. If he’s lucky, it’s going to be just him and not any of the other three Council members. Dean can only hope. Either way, this night just keeps getting better and better. And he doesn’t see an end for it in sight.

 _Fantastic_.  
  


* * *

  
Castiel is fuming. He is absolutely  _furious_ , and it’s more at himself than it is at anything – or anyone – else. Which is why this night finds him curled up on his sleep shelf without sleeping, and without lying in his sleep groove properly. He’s currently on his side with his tail held to his chest and his end-fan spread over his head to hide him from the rest of the world. It’s still a while yet before it’s his turn to be on duty, and he should at least sleep for a little bit before then. But Castel knows that he’s not going to. He’s much too  _angry_ for that right now.

He swam away. How in the name of Mother-sea could he have just _swum away_? Dean swims such a long distance to see him Why would Castiel just _leave_ him like that? It was rude and disrespectful and Castiel is outraged with himself for doing it. Especially since he had been so looking forward to spending time with Dean. Over these long rotations, there are few things that Castiel can actually look forward to. In fact, they amount to all of two things; seeing his siblings and getting to spend time with Dean.

Throughout his life, Castiel has only kept one secret from his family. That secret is his friendship with a fang-fin; with Green-eyes; with _Dean_. Their friendship gives Castiel a sense of excitement whenever he sneaks away. It gives him a purpose to keep pushing at his Council. Castiel can’t wait for the day when he’ll arrive at the meeting place to tell Dean that his Council is willing to meet with him – and some of the other rebels too, of course.

It was just so _good_ to feel Dean’s delight over learning that the Council finally made a decisions. He brought a smile to Dean’s lips and Castiel’s adipose fins ripple against the stone of his sleep shelf when he thinks about it. Castiel presses his face into the scales of his tail and hugs it tighter. There’s not much to be happy about during this war and he doesn’t want to think about how seeing Dean be happy – seeing him _smile_ – brings Castiel happiness.

And now he’s missing a night of that because he let his emotions get the better of him. He was so _stupid_ to swim off like that. Dean might not even have reached his colony yet, and he’s probably not very happy that Castiel just _left_ him like that. But how could he be even remotely _pleased_ when Dean said something so ridiculous as how he’s willing to _die_ for – for – for, well, _anything_?

Castiel is still struggling to forgive Dean for all that he once did, but that doesn’t mean that he wants him to _die_. They’re friends. He doesn’t want _any_ of his friends to die during this war. Of course, he can understand Dean’s feelings. Castiel is more than willing to devote his life to helping their two colonies find peace, he just doesn’t want to die because of it. Though his life would be worth it if things could be better for them. That feeling extends to Dean, and that’s partially why Castiel is afraid.

Part of it is the kind of fear that grips him whenever he thinks about how his siblings are out there and they could die during any battle. The rest is that he’s feeling it at all. Dean is a _fang-fin_. Castiel shouldn’t be worried for _his_ life in any way similar to how worried he is for Balthazar or Anna. And he absolutely does not want to examine whether or not that fear is the same as what he has for Hannah, or Uriel, or if he’s also worried about Sam’s life too.

That might reveal too much. But too much about _what_? About himself, about Dean, or about their friendship? Castiel has already long since begrudgingly admitted to himself that their friendship is _much_ different from what he has with any other bright-fin. But that’s just because Dean is a fang-fin, and a secret, and – and – and because he’s _Dean_. Which means that he is positively infuriating, and Castiel is being absolutely ridiculous.

He’s also being extremely hypocritical. If it’s okay for _him_ to give his life for their cause, then it should be no problem that Dean feels the same. But it _is_ a problem. It’s a problem because he shouldn’t be _this worried_ for anyone who isn’t family. This is new and scary and Castiel doesn’t like it. Just as he doesn’t like how he left Dean at their meeting place tonight, and missed out a night with him. And _that_ is why Castiel is so angry with himself.

Mother-sea, please just let his thoughts go quiet enough to let him _sleep_. He doesn’t want to think about this anymore.

*

_(You still angry at me?)_

It’s the first question Dean asks him the moment their minds find each other on the battlefield. Castiel tries not to react physically while he’s quickly directing his garrison around. A smile wants to find its way onto his lips and he can’t allow it to happen. Not here, at least. Not now. But the careful way Dean’s mind touches his only makes him want to grin. This is the first that they’re speaking since the disastrous meeting the other day and Dean is actually worried that Castiel is still mad with him. It’s rather adorable.

 _(No, Dean. I’m not mad with you.)_ He never was. Castiel was mad with _himself_ for being so suddenly afraid to lose Dean in the first place. _(And I’d like to apologize for my behaviour the other night. It wasn’t fair to you.)_

Relief floods the kin-connection. _(Good. Let’s just forget about it, okay?)_ After a pause, curiosity sweeps against Castiel’s mind. _(Where are you?)_

_(Fighting.)_

Castiel almost laughs at the frustration he receives in answer. Instead, he snarls and swipes with his sword at an approaching fang-fin. It’s one of the rebels and they brush against his mind for a brief moment. They circle each other, snarling and clawing at each other though they dodge out of the way. It’s like a dance they weave around each other as every strike fails to land. But the rebel flees when two more bright-fin come to fight at Castiel’s side.

 _(Well, stay safe, okay?)_ Dean seems most insistent of this. _(Sam would totally ink his bed if something were to happen to you. You’re the only link we’ve got to the bright-fin.)_

_(Of course – as long as you promise to be careful too.)_

He shakes his head and continues patrolling with his team to help out where help is needed as they push the fang-fin back from their borders. They haven’t lost a bright-fin yet today and Castiel is happy to maintain that streak. A few injuries have happened over the last few battles, but no one has _died_ on either side. It’s the best result possible at this point in time and he knows that he isn’t the only one pleased by it.

Any conversation that Castiel has with Dean after that is mostly just casual observation while they’re doing their own business. They don’t actually run into each other this time – at least not yet. Castiel is certain that he catches sight of Dean at some point on the edges of his echoes, but the shape of the tail is gone by the time he turns to confirm. It was a brief moment of disappointment, and then he moved on. He should be plenty satisfied with being able to talk to Dean in his mind. He doesn’t _need_ to see him in person. But he would certainly like to.

When Dean’s amusement swirls into the kin-connection, it’s bright and distracting and Castiel very nearly stops what he’s doing because of it. _(What happened?)_ For a moment, paranoia surfaces at the chance that it might be _him_ that Dean is laughing at.

 _(Oh **geeze** , Cas, if only you could hear Alistair right now.) _Dean’s thoughts are practically skipping across the kin-connection with how pleased he is. _(He came to oversee this battle and he’s so **pissed off**. I’m going to be in so much shit if I get caught laughing right now.)_

Castiel frowns and starts calling out echoes more often, keeping an eye out for the one fang-fin he _really_ doesn’t want to run into out here. He can’t remember if Alistair has been at other battles before. What makes this one so special? Where are the other three Council members then? Is this something that he should be _really_ worried about?

Every question gets dumped straight into the kin-connection, because these are things that Castiel _needs_ to know. And he should spread this information to the bright-fin if Alistair really is participating in the battle. He’s ruthless and he could break their deathless streak.

 _(Whoa, calm down, Cas. It’s fine.)_ Immediately, Dean’s reassuring touch soothes over the ruffled edges of Castiel’s mind. _(You can let them know that Alistair is here, but he’s not fighting. He only came to see if what I told them the other day is true. He’s just nearby so he can get our reports right now instead of having to wait for them later.)_

_(And that was?)_

Memories flit through the channels of their link, quick and to the point. It’s all flashes of Dean and a few other fang-fin meeting with the Council and telling them that the bright-fin tactics had changed and it’s gotten extremely hard for the fang-fin to get the results that the Council wants. _(At least the problems are happening to **all** the divisions and not just mine. I thought the meeting was just with me, but the other division heads ended up being there too. Thank Mother-sea for that.)_

Castiel briefly places a hand over his heart and sighs in relief. _(So, you’re not in trouble?)_

 _(Not yet.)_ There’s a teasing edge to Dean’s thought and Castiel flicks it away. He doesn’t want to think about Dean getting in trouble and being _punished_ for it. Who knows how the Council would handle an actual punishment.

His bottom lip aches as he chews on it slightly. Castiel directs his team to continue on without him as he drawing back further from the fighting while still being close enough to listen for anyone who might need help. This is important and he needs to talk to Dean about it properly without the distraction of having to defend himself against what few fang-fin are here today who actually want to hurt him.

 _(The Council hasn’t figured out the **real** reason as to why the divisions are having unfavourable reports, have they?)_ If they have, then Castiel doesn’t know what he’s going to do. Dean’s life and the lives of all the rebels would be at risk.

Again, Dean’s touch through the kin-connection is a calming one. _(Don’t worry about it, Cas. They’re getting just enough half-truths that I’m pretty sure they don’t suspect a thing.)_

For Dean’s sake, Castiel hopes so. _(I suppose that’s good... But don’t do anything that will get you hurt.)_ He does not look forward to the day that he gets news of Dean actually receiving a worse injury that a few scratches. Thinking about it gives Castiel the same hollow feeling in his belly that he gets from thinking about it happening to Balthazar or Anna.

 _(I won’t.)_ Dean’s thoughts are unexpectedly warm, like he appreciates Castiel’s worry. _(There are lots of things that I want to do and dying isn’t going to do me any good with getting them done.)_

And that is something that Castiel refuses to inquire about further. He’s getting right back into the things that he didn’t want to think about the other night and this is most definitely not the place to bring them up again. Castiel needs to keep his mind on the task at hand until the battle is over. If he doesn’t, he could be seriously hurt – him or any number of his comrades.

The end of the battle comes quicker than he thought it would. Alistair must not be happy with what’s happening if he’s already calling a retreat. Castiel watches with the rest of his garrison as the other fang-fin withdraw. Of course it’s only as they’re leaving that he actually sees Dean properly in his echoes. He’s one of the last fang-fin to turn away – swimming back and forth just beyond the territory markers while he makes sure that everyone is leaving.

 _(Tomorrow night, right?)_ Dean asks, and Castiel feels like Dean is looking right at him when he glances over his shoulder one last time.

 _(Tomorrow night.)_ He confirms, just barely refraining from nodding.

With that, Dean is gone. Castiel returns to his patrolling duty wondering if tomorrow night will be the same as every other time. Will Dean be alone again or will any of the other rebels actually come like Castiel always assumed they would? At this point, he’d be willing to bet his entire collection of hard won shells that Dean will be alone. After all, it just makes sense that they have less people sneaking away. It’s much safer for everyone involved.

*

Castiel has to wait until he’s not on duty before he can return to the trench – which is the next day. Even when his garrison is on patrol or in the relief camps, he still spends all his ‘ _down time_ ’ at the trench so he can talk to the Council. He speaks to them as long as he can before they go to sleep or he’ll be waiting for when they wake up. At least this way he gets to actually sleep on his own shelf. In the turbulent times of war, it’s nice to have thatparticular comfort.

As usual, when Castiel arrives at the Council’s auditorium, the only ones who are actually happy to see him are his brothers. Metatron and Raphael both look as annoyed as they always do, but his brothers swim down from their pillars to greet him. At least _they’re_ happy to see him, though he can tell from one look that none of them are looking forward to the topic he’s going to breach – again.

 _(Enough with the pleasantries.)_ Raphael snaps before Castiel is fully finished greeting his brothers. _(Let’s get this started so we can tell you to forget it and we can move on with our business as usual.)_

His jaw aches with how hard he grits his teeth. Raphael has opposed any and all suggestions at every turn. Castiel firmly believes that he’s bullying Metatron into being on his side too. Metatron is smart, but weak. He’ll agree with whoever scares him the most or can give him the better offer. It’s surprising that not even Lucifer has managed to sway Metatron from Raphael’s side. And he is easily the scariest of all of Castiel’s siblings.

But he needs to remain calm if he’s to ever get through to the rest of the Council. _(Please, I beg of you to meet with at least a handful of the rebels. Their leaders would be more than happy to meet you to discuss the potential of over taking their Council.)_

Michael sighs and he places a heavy hand on Castiel’s shoulder. _(I’ve told you many times, Castiel. It’s not that easy.)_

 _(But it **is**.) _ He shrugs Michael’s hand off and gives his brothers an imploring look. _(It must **mean** something to you that the number of kin we lose per battle has dropped significantly. We’ve had injured, but none dead in recent fights. How can you ignore those statistics and still **refuse** to meet with any of the rebels? They want the same things as you do.)_

Lucifer returns to his pillar, if only to sit and shift uncomfortably on it. _(We have our home to worry about, Castiel. We can’t just invite the enemy into it.)_

 _(We have our **people** to worry about.) _ Castiel retaliates, looking to Gabriel. _He_ has always been on his side, more or less. Hopefully he’ll be able to talk some sense into the rest of the Council. _(The rebels are fang-fin, but they are not our enemy. And you can meet with them at a neutral location outside of our territory. Or even within it. They won’t care where it is as long as they can speak with you and get your insight on how to overthrow their Council.)_

Metatron sniffs and his single back-fan flickers slightly. _(You’re not a part of this Council, Castiel. That’s something you seem to be forgetting.)_

On the contrary, Castiel is well aware of this fact and it grates on his nerves at all times. _(I am a part of this **colony** and I consider every bright-fin to be one of my kin. I may not be your sibling –)_ He looks pointedly at Metatron and Raphael. _(– but this colony is my family and I will do whatever is within my power to protect it.)_

Raphael rises up off of his pillar. His glow flickers from the intensity of his emotions, his frustration burning through the kin-connection. _(Just **what** do you think meeting with the rebels would accomplish? To my understanding, not all of their people are devoted to this **Dean’s** cause. In fact, from what you’ve been saying, many of them still fight for their leaders.)_

 _(You’re only proving my point as to why you should meeting with Dean.)_ Castiel spreads his arms in a helpless gesture. _(With our warriors backing them, the portion of the fang-fin colony that the rebels have managed to convert would be enough to overthrow the rest of their colony and their Council. Together, we could who the truth to the rest of their colony!)_

Michael rubs a hand over his face. _(We know, Castiel. You’ve been telling us this same thing since you came home. We’re talking about this every day, but it takes **time** to come to the kind of decision that you want us to have.)_ In a private, separate link that Castiel always shares with his brother, Michael adds an additional thought. _(Especially where Raphael and Metatron are concerned. I’m sorry, little brother.)_

No, this is unacceptable. Castiel wants to have more good news for Dean at the meeting tonight. This isn’t _fair_. It’s taking so long and the answer is so simple. What is _wrong_ with his Council? Why can’t they see that this is what needs to be done for anything _good_ to happen in this war. Castiel groans and swims in angry circles. He’s so frustrated that he’s just shy of pulling his hair and screaming. What can he do or offer them to make them agree to this?

 _(What if I can bring just **one** fang-fin here?)_ He comes to a sharp stop, all his fins flaring to stop his momentum. _(I could bring Dean, or Sam, or any of the rebels that you want to choose from. There’s Bobby and Ellen. Anyone. Bringing Dean here wouldn’t be a problem. He’s just one fang-fin. I’m sure he’d even accept being imprisoned while here, as long as it means you’ll talk to him.)_

As soon as he’s done speaking, Castiel realizes the error that he made. All five members of the Council are staring at him now, and the links with his brothers are all quiet. Suspicion leaks through the kin-connection from Metatron and Raphael. But the most terrifying of thing is the quiet anger that starts to surface in Michael’s mind.

 _(You were told not to keep your distance from the fang-fin, be they rebel or not.)_ Though he looks calm, Michael’s fans are all starting to tremble. Even Gabriel and Lucifer are sharing their displeasure in the kin-connection. _(Have you been meeting with any of them, Castiel? Have you been meeting with **Dean**?)_

There is absolutely no way Castiel can answer that without lying. All he can do is avert his eyes and wince when outrage sears through five different links of the kin-connection. Gabriel is the only one of his brothers who actually has admiration mixed with his. Neither Michael nor Lucifer can believe that Castiel of all fin-kin would break the rules like this. It’s nothing odd for him to push the line, but he’s never outright _broken_ it like this before.

 _(Castiel!)_ Michael’s tone is sharp and painful in the kin-connection. _(How could you?)_

 _(Well, how **else** am I supposed to keep appraised of what’s happening in the fang-fin colony?)_ He looks up quickly, making sure to keep his expression hard. If he shows weakness, his punishment will end up being even worse.

Raphael is practically trembling with his anger. _(What if that fang-fin is **using** you, Castiel? Have you even stopped to think about how this could impact this colony? You’ve **betrayed** us.)_

 _(I would know if Dean was lying to me.)_ A defensive anger starts bubbling in Castiel’s chest. It makes his face feel hot and his skin feels too tight. Raphael isn’t just insulting him, he’s insulting Dean too, and that’s not something Castiel will tolerate. _(And I’ll have you know that I feel safer in Dean’s company on the battlefield than I do with some of our own warriors.)_

Castiel pulls at Michael’s mind, pleading with him to understand. _(I swear it to you that Dean has never been anything but truthful with me. He’s **changed** and he wants to help us help him.)_

Unfortunately, Lucifer intervenes. The moment he swims between him and Michael, Castiel’s heart sinks. He’s lost this fight and now it’s just a matter of time before they determine his punishment. _(I’m sorry, Castiel, but you’ve broken our rules. We gave you strict instructions and you’ve broken them. Now you need to face the consequences.)_

And that responsibility falls to Gabriel. If Castiel knows his brother, and he does, then he knows that Gabriel will have already decided on some punishment. It will be one that is harsh enough to satisfy Raphael and Metatron, but not harsh enough that he’ll feel bad for ruling judgment against his little brother. Hopefully.

He worries his bottom lip with the points of his teeth as he looks to Gabriel, waiting for his decree. The rest of the Council does the same. Immediately, Gabriel’s fans spread as he puffs up with pride. It’s rare that he actually has to mete out punishment and that’s the only time when he has full command of everyone’s attention. That’s the exact reason that Gabriel wanted this position. He doesn’t have much work to do outside of the regular Council duties and that’s just the way he likes it.

 _(Sorry little bro, but you’re not going to like this.)_ Gabriel’s attempt at comfort comes through their private link and Castiel actually sinks towards the auditorium floor slightly, his fans drooping.

On the open channels of the kin-connection, Gabriel makes the official announcement regarding the punishment. And he’s right, Castiel doesn’t like it. He’s to be confined in one of their holding caverns under constant guard. Which means that Castiel is going to be spending the next rotation stuck in another cave off of the healer’s tunnels with someone to watch over him. _Again_. It’s either going to be a warrior too old to participate in battle, or the healers will be keeping an eye on him while they’re going about their daily business.

_(But what about my garrison?)_

_(Uriel was in charge of them when you were missing, and he’ll do it again while you’re in confinement.)_

It’s a logical decision and Castiel is happy that his garrison will be in good hands again. Though he wishes that he had been more careful with what he said. He’s been so good up until now with keeping his meetings with Dean a secret. Castiel has made no mention of it to _anyone_ and in one heated moment he revealed everything. It was completely by accident, but Castiel hopes that Dean will forgive him for it. Especially since he’ll now be missing tonight’s meeting.

 _(That’s not good enough.)_ Raphael interjects and Castiel just barely stops himself from wincing.

Immediately, disbelief bounces through the kin-connection. No one has _ever_ said that regarding Gabriel’s punishment decisions. _(Oh, I’m sorry.)_ Gabriel’s thoughts are dripping with sarcasm. _(Please, enlighten me as to what I could have done better.)_

 _(What if Castiel’s garrison is in on this too? If he’s been sneaking away to meet with the fang-fin, how has **nobody** noticed?)_ It’s a good question, but Castiel takes it as insulting. He’s plenty sneaky and he would never do anything to get his garrison in trouble. _(I say that his garrison should be recalled to the trench. But them on sentry duty until Castiel’s confinement is over. If none of them sneak off too, then we’ll know that his garrison wasn’t involved.)_

Castiel fills the kin-connection with every bit of honesty that he has in his body. _(None of them knew what I was doing. They aren’t involved in this. It’s not fair to the other garrisons that you change the rotation schedule between them.)_

_(You should have thought of that before you betrayed your colony.)_

When Castiel moves to object, Lucifer puts a hand on his shoulder to draw him back. _(Enough, Castiel. This is our decision. It’s only for one rotation and then things will return to normal for everyone.)_

But how is he going to contact Dean? Will Dean worry if he’s not there? What will he think happened to him? Dean knows that Castiel left the battle unharmed, and he doubts that another is going to happen between now and the meeting time tonight. But still, there were dangers in these waters long before the fang-fin came here. Hopefully Dean won’t be too worried and he’ll return to his colony without issue. But still, Castiel wishes he could let him know what really happened.

 _(I believe Castiel should be heading to his punishment now.)_ Metatron finally adds to this disaster of a conversation. His thoughts are amused and Castiel hates it, just as he hates that Lucifer holds on to his elbow while he leads him to the nearby healer’s caverns.

_(I hate to do this, Castiel, but you’re not giving us much choice here.)_

_(I know.)_ But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t hate it. And that’s when an idea occurs to him. _(Will anyone be allowed to visit me? Like you, or Balthazar or Anna?)_

Lucifer hesitates before answering. _(That’s a good question. At this point, I believe siblings only will be acceptable. I’ll let Balthazar know to visit you before his garrison switches out with yours. To my knowledge, he’s on sentry duty right now.)_

_(Thank you.)_

Castiel isn’t alone in the cave for long before the familiar golden glow of his brother lights the tunnel. Balthazar nearly swims right past the cavern before he notices that it’s the one Castiel is resting in. This cave is significantly smaller than his previous one. But at least he’s not alone. The healers are always passing by and some even come into the cave to access the items that are stored there.

Balthazar floats in the opening of the cave. _(This is a first, isn’t it? You’re in trouble.)_

 _(I was just better at avoiding being caught before.)_ He sighs and flops over onto his belly, curling his tail so he can rest his arms on top of it and his chin on top of those. If he looks too eager, Balthazar might realize what’s going on. _(But before we get into any of that, I have a request. Will you do it for me?)_

Unsurprisingly, Balthazar’s suspicious are raised immediately. His head-fans flare out as his eyes narrow. _(What is it?)_

_(I **need** you to do this, Balthazar. You’re the only one I can trust right now.)_

He knows that Balthazar would never tell their brothers about this. Castiel doesn’t even need to get him to promise. They made a pact when they were still hatchlings that they would always trust in each other. Castiel still keeps some of Balthazar’s secrets from several seasons ago that he’s never shared. And he knows Balthazar has never told anyone that _Castiel_ was the one who accidentally knocked Anna’s favourite crescent shaped stone from the sleep shelf they all shared when they were hatchlings.

Balthazar is someone that Castiel can trust and he’s not above begging him to agree to this.

 _(I’m not agreeing to anything, Cassie.)_ There’s a frown creasing Balthazar’s forehead as he crosses his arms. _(You’re in deep trouble right now and I have the sneaking feeling that you’re going to try and drag me into it.)_ And Castiel is silent for a beat too long. _(Ah-hah! I **knew** it. What devious plan were you planning to include me in, hm?)_

Castiel’s bottom lip sticks out in a pout. This might be harder than he thought it would be. Even _Balthazar_ is suspicious of his loyalty to the colony and that’s just terrible. Well, he might as well just come clean. Balthazar is going to find out what it is one way or another. He doesn’t have anyone else that he could ask to do this for him. Anna is much too far away and she’s extremely impulsive. Only Mother-sea knows what troubles she would get up to.

 _(I need you to go to a specific location and meet with Green-eyes to tell him why I won’t be at our meeting place for a whole rotation.)_ There. That was quick and to the point. Hopefully that’s all the information Balthazar needs to just do this for him.

He might have thought that too soon. Balthazar stares at him with his mouth open, shock bouncing through the kin-connection. _(You have **got** to be kidding me. Cassie, he’s the whole reason that you’re in this mess right now! If the Council finds out about this, it’ll be my tail too **and** you’ll be facing even **worse** punishment. They might **exile** you – or worse!) _ The space is much too small for Balthazar to swim back and forth, but he does it anyways. _(And what if Green-eyes isn’t alone? What if he **kills** me? Cassie, if he kills me, my spirit is going to haunt you until you die.)_

This is an entirely inappropriate moment to smile, but Castiel does it nonetheless. It’s always amusing when Balthazar gets like this. _(I can assure you that Dean won’t hurt you. And he’s going to be alone. He always is. Besides your garrison is going to be switching out today anyways. You can easily slip away when your garrison leaves. You only need to be there long enough to tell him about this –)_ Castiel gestures at himself and the surrounding cave. _(– and then you can be on your merry way again.)_

_(You are out of your **mind** , Cassie.)_

_(There’s no need to be insulting, Balthazar.)_ He pushes himself up to sit back on the curl of his tail. _(I’m perfectly sane. All I’ve done is meet with Dean once every few days to check on how the rebels are faring with their plans. Sometimes Dean and I try to brainstorm ways we could help one another to achieve our mutual goals. And sometimes we talk about everything that has nothing to do with anything.)_

Balthazar’s frown only increases and his adipose fins ripple with in an acutely agitated way. _(I don’t like this, Cassie. You’ve been sneaking off behind everyone’s backs. How can you expect us to be **okay** with that? And now you’re trying to drag **me** into this!)_

 _(Balthazar, **please**.) _ Castiel can’t hold still any longer. He swims forward and pulls Balthazar’s hands from his arms, clasping them between his own. _(I only did what I thought I had to do for the sake of our colony. All that I **ever** do is for them.)_ And of all his siblings, Balthazar knows this best. How often has he claimed that Castiel needs to get a life outside of his training and responsibilities to the colony?

He tips his chin forward and attempts the most pitiful and desperately pleading expression that he has ever given to one of his siblings. _(Dean is the one who carried me home when I was injured and he deserves to know that I’m alright. I don’t want him wasting his time making the long trip to our meeting place to repeatedly find me not there.)_

Truthfully, Castiel half suspects that Dean might storm the trench to find out what happened to him if he missed multiple meetings in a row with no explanation. He would probably do it alone too. The logical part of Castiel’s brain is telling him that Dean would never take such a risk, but the highly illogical part of him – the part that thinks with his hopes and dreams – wants to believe that he would. Has their friendship reached such a point? Would Castiel do the same if Dean suddenly stopped attending their meetings? Perhaps. He would certainly try get a hold of one of the other rebels as soon as possible to learn about what had happened to him.

It shouldn’t be physically possible, but Balthazar manages to narrow his squint even further. At this point, Castiel isn’t sure if he can even be seen anymore by it. The kin-connection between them is strangely silent. Whatever Balthazar is thinking, he’s not sharing the emotions that go hand in hand with his thoughts. Which means it’s not something that he wants Castiel to know. Is it further suspicions? What conclusions has he reached?

_(Oh, **fine**.)_

Castiel’s victory catches him by surprise and his fans flare to match it. This is highly suspect and now it’s _his_ turn to be apprehensive regarding his brother’s decisions. What made him change his mind? Castiel was fully prepared to debate with him for ages longer. And now he’s just going to do it? Something’s up and Castiel doesn’t have the time to investigate. Evening is drawing closer and the Council might start to suspect Balthazar too if he stays here any longer.

 _(Thank you.)_ And he has never been more sincere. _(All you need to tell him is –)_

 _(Yes, yes, I know what to tell him.)_ Balthazar waves his hand between them to cut Castiel off. _(Just tell me when and where I need to be and I’ll do it.)_ His thoughts have taken on the same lackadaisical edge that they always have, but they sharpen in an instant as he points at Castiel in a nearly threatening manner. _(But I warn you, if Green-eyes does **anything** to me, you’re going to see the angry side of me and you’re not going to like it, Castiel.)_

The use of Castiel’s real name shows that he is deadly serious. Castiel can’t even remember the last time Balthazar called him by it. On reflex, his fans all flatten. He’s never been in trouble with Balthazar like this before. They’ve always been the best of brothers, and the best of friends. It worries him. Balthazar has successfully cowed him with only his name. At any other time, Castiel would be impressed.

At least Balthazar’s attitude changes the moment he’s been given when and where to meet with Dean. He goes from on edge to whiny in an astoundingly short time. _(Why are you meeting him so **late** , Cassie? I could be **sleeping** then!)_

_(I know. I’m sorry. But it’s the only time that it’s easiest for the both of us to sneak away.)_

Balthazar pulls him into a tight hug. It’s the kind that has Castiel hunched over with his face squashed to Balthazar’s chest, his head-fans dangerously close to being crumpled in all the wrong ways. _(You’re lucky I love you, baby brother. Otherwise, I would **never** do this.)_ He lifts Castiel’s head by cupping his face with both hands, squishing his cheeks more than necessary. _(And you are going to owe me **big time** for this. No matter what it is that I ask of you in the future, you’re going to have to do it. Got it?)_

Castiel rolls his eyes, but fills the kin-connection with his agreement nonetheless. _(Thank you. Now go before someone begins to suspect that this is what I’m asking you to do.)_

 _(You’ll be alright here?)_ The worry clouds their link and Balthazar glances around the small storage cave.

 _(Of course. I’m not alone and I still have my links with our brothers. As long as Raphael and Metatron don’t take the opportunity to come and lecture me, I’ll be fine.)_ He attempts a bright smile, but Castiel is well aware that it comes out weaker than it should. His smiles are going to be hard to come by again until he can get this bad situation worked out.

With one final hug, Balthazar takes his leave. Of course they maintain their link through the kin-connection until he’s too far out of reach to hold it any longer, but it remains mostly silent now that their conversation has ended. Castiel just hopes that Balthazar won’t be distracted by his new task. If his garrison suspects anything, he might end up down in these caves too. At this point, Castiel is relying purely on Balthazar’s acting abilities – and that might have been one of the many reasons why he was chosen over Anna.

Castiel winces when he thinks of how she’s going to take to the fact that he’s been imprisoned by his own Council. Hopefully her garrison won’t be coming near the trench during the next rotation. As much as he loves his sister, he doesn’t want to have to listen to her lectures on top of the ones he knows he’s going to be getting soon. There’s no doubt in his mind that Michael and Lucifer will be making appearances in time, and they’re _not_ going to be happy. Gabriel, on the other hand, might actually congratulate him for ‘living on the edge’ for once in his life.

But he just doesn’t understand it. Castiel has always had the utmost respect for his Council, and yet they’re still being so very _blind_. How can they not see that this is the best way? Meeting with the rebels and joining forces with them is the quite possibly the only way they’re going to win this war. They could end it _now_ , and yet they’re dragging their fins with it. Castiel can understand their bitter feelings towards the fang-fin. But can’t they just put those aside for one day for one measly little meeting with a handful of fin-kin who honestly want to _help_?

And the worst thing is that Castiel is _certain_ that Gabriel and Michael are the most willing to consider it. He knows, at the very least, that they’ve been talking about it amongst themselves. But Lucifer is still unsure, and Metatron and Raphael are nearly a lost cause. They’re both against it and no matter what Castiel shares with them, they refuse to trust a fang-fin. Just what is Castiel going to have to do to make them believe him – to make them _understand_?

He may have just found what he’s going to need to think about the hardest while he’s stuck here for the next rotation.  
  


* * *

  
Dean dives until his belly is practically scraping the ocean floor as he changes directions. He keeps down current from the meeting place, approaching it from behind the safety of the boulders that litter this area. With his nose lifted into the current, Dean takes a few deep breaths. There’s a bright-fin here and it isn’t Cas. Dean doesn’t recognize their scent. It’s vaguely familiar, but it’s not enough for him to be able to place it.

Whoever this is, it’s definitely _not_ Cas and Dean’s guard is up immediately. Who is it? Why are they here? And most importantly – where the _fuck_ is Cas? Is he okay? Did something happen to him? Did this other bright-fin do something to him? Is this some kind of trap?

His first instinct is to attack. Dean wants to dart up and over the rocks and tackle this stranger to the sea floor. He wants to pin them and use whatever methods necessary to find out where Cas is. But his first instinct is a bad one and Dean catches himself before he does anything. Cas isn’t the only bright-fin he wants to earn the trust of. This could be his chance to make nice with _more_ of Cas’s colony. So what he needs to do now is keep a level head before he ends up fucking this up too.

With some difficulty, Dean forces himself to stay hidden. He doesn’t even take the opportunity to peek out and fire a few echoes off at this other bright-fin. His whole body is tense and ready to strike or flee, depending on what happens next.

There’s an audible gasp from the other side of the rocks when Dean reaches out and touches the bright-fin’s mind. Dean’s skin tingles as he can all but feel the way the water is stirring up now. The bright-fin must be twisting in all directions and calling out echoes like crazy, trying to find him. If they were smart, they’d think to look on the other side of the rocks. But there’s so many around, it might take them a while to find him.

It’s a bit of a surprise that the bright-fin actually opens their mind to him. Dean was half expecting them not to. At least there’s no surprise when he finds that it’s only the barest edges of their mind that gets opened to him. It’s the most minimal kin-connection he’s ever encountered. Whoever this bright-fin is, they’re being cautious as all hell. He doesn’t blame them for it. He’s exactly the same.

But that doesn’t stop him from demanding the only thing he cares about right now. _(Who the fuck are you and where the hell is Cas?)_

His answer is an influx of instant irritation that has Dean wincing. _(You must be Dean.)_

On reflex, Dean bares his teeth in a silent snarl. _(I’m not going to ask again.)_

The bright-fin is close enough for Dean to actually hear the sigh they huff through their gills. _(I’m Cassie’s **brother** , you colossal nitwit, and I’m here because **you** got him in trouble with our Council.)_

Well, _shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the impromptu mini-hiatus. Life got a little rough in the last few weeks, but things should be smoothing out now and I should hopefully be able to get back into the swing of updating ;u;
> 
> And as always, you can check the status of chapters over on the [story tag I keep on tumblr](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin!AU).


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a soft sigh, she leans back and touches his face fondly, her thumbs brushing his cheeks. _(It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you laugh properly.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Dean takes a moment to himself. He rubs his hands over his face and resists the urge to pull his hair. Cas is in _trouble_ and it’s _his_ fault – if Cas is in trouble for what Dean thinks he is. Well, maybe it’s not _all_ his fault. It’s not like he _made_ Cas come to the meetings with him. Cas didn’t _have_ to come. But he did. He wanted to. He was _excited_ about it. And now his Council has him all – all what? How are they keeping him back in the trench? Is he okay?

It’s really difficult to not feel guilty about this and Dean is failing at it _hard_.

 _Fuck_.

He sighs and shakes himself out. Okay. This isn’t the first time shit has happened to his friends. Dean can deal with this just like he dealt with everything else. Besides, Cas obviously sent his brother in his place for a reason. So Dean might as well actually talk to him – no matter how badly he _really_ doesn’t want to talk to another bright-fin right now. He came here looking forward to seeing Cas and now that’s been pulled away from him _again_.

 _(Are you going to come out and meet me face to face or am I going to be talking to the open ocean for the rest of this hopefully brief chit-chat?)_ The irritation is rolling through the kin-connection and it almost makes him wince.

With a huff, Dean flicks his tail and rises over the rocks. _(Don’t get your scales in a twist. I’m right here.)_

Cas’s brother whips around, eyes narrowed. Dean’s going to hazard the guess that this is probably Balthazar. Cas still hasn’t shared what any of his siblings look like, but Dean knows enough to be confident with his guess. For one, he knows that Cas has four brothers and one sister. Three of those brothers are on the Council and from what little they’ve exchanged so far, he can bet that _this_ brother isn’t one of them. Which leaves only one logical conclusion; Balthazar.

The family resemblance really isn’t that strong. Dean can kinda pick out some parts of the glowing pattern on Balthazar’s tail that would match some of Cas’s pattern. But it’s definitely not exactly the same. Just – it’s _really_ similar. And Dean would know. He’s got Cas’s glow pattern memorized, if only because sometimes he didn’t have anything better to do in the cave than watch Cas sleep. It had actually been kind of amusing to learn that even in their sleep, bright-fin still glow – though it’s _way_ softer than how they usually are.

Speaking of glows... Dean stares at Balthazar’s tail and the yellow glow lighting the area. It hurts Dean’s eyes to look directly at him and he has to squint against it. _(You’re glowing.)_

A sarcastic shock zings through the kin-connection. _(You don’t say? All these seasons and I’ve never noticed it before.)_ Balthazar rolls his eyes and twists his tail to start floating backward, putting a little distance between them as Dean comes over the rocks to be on the same side as him.

Dean’s upper lip curls back. Great. Cas’s brother thinks he’s a comedian. _(No, you dummy – you’re **glowing**. Dim it the hell down before someone sees you.)_ He gestures at Balthazar from his head to the tip of his tail. _(Cas never glows like this when he’s out here.)_

That earns him another eye roll and an annoyed ruffling of the adipose fins along Balthazar’s tail. He sneers too, but his glow drops down to practically nothing. Immediately, Dean can feel himself relax – though only just slightly. It’s weird to be in the light of a glow that isn’t Cas’s. Balthazar has a yellow one compared to Cas’s blue, and the blue doesn’t hurt Dean’s eyes as much. He’s not as used to the light as the bright-fin are – even after spending more than a rotation with Cas in that cave.

But that aside, there’s only one _really_ important question that Dean has to ask right now. He needs to get it out of the way before they get down to the nitty-gritty here. _(Is Cas okay?)_

Unsurprisingly, Balthazar isn’t too impressed with that question. He shrugs and the thoughts come quick and impatient. _(He’s on indefinite time out.)_ It’s obvious that Balthazar doesn’t want to be here any longer than he need to.

After a moment of bearing Dean’s flat stare, Balthazar sighs and flares his head-fans in annoyance. _(Okay, so it’s more like a rotation and not **actually** indefinite. But he’s got to spend the whole thing stuck in the healer’s caves.)_

As soon as he says that, the bottom drops out from Dean’s stomach. He even sinks a little before he catches himself again. Mother-sea help him, but Dean _hates_ hearing that. _(Cas is being kept in another cave.)_ That’s the worst thing Balthazar could have possibly said. After everything that Cas had been through, you’d think they would send him to where he sleeps or something.

Balthazar’s lip curls and he dumps a completely excessive amount of contempt into the kin-connection. _(Yes, that would be the gist of it. My, but you **do** catch on quick.)_

Holy shit, how is Cas related to someone so fucking _snide_? And of course Balthazar doesn’t’ stop. He keeps on going and it makes Dean cringe.

_(And it’s **your** fault at that.)_

Dean looks away. More than that, he starts swimming. It’s a nervous line, but at least he’s moving and thinking and doing something besides just floating there feeling stupidly guilty. Of course he feels bad about this. He doesn’t want Cas to be in trouble because of him. If he could stop himself from being so fucking _selfish_ , Dean would just cut off the rest of their meetings and keep it to just when they manage to meet each other on the battlefield.

But the problem with that is – well, that’s probably not going to be happening for much longer either. Why is why Dean absolutely does _not_ want to give up these meetings. They’re all he’s got with Cas right now – and it’s all he’s ever going to have. Probably. How could he ever give this up?

Balthazar seems fine on watching Dean swim back and forth for a bit, but it’s not long before his thoughts are digging into the edges of Dean’s mind again. _(What? No commentary on that, **Green-eyes**?)_

The bright-fin’s name for him has Dean flinching to a stop. He turns to Balthazar and grits his teeth, biting back a growl. _(I’m **not** that fang-fin anymore.)_ Because he’s changed now. He knows better and he’s not so fucking _blind_ anymore.

_(I suppose if you were, I’d be dead by now.)_

Is this guy for real? Dean damn near jaw drops at him. _(Are you **testing** me?) _ Either Balthazar is brave as hell or he’s the craziest damn bright-fin in the entire ocean. Dean makes sure that the kin-connection is full of his disbelief.

All that gets him is a shrug and another roll of the eyes. If he wasn’t radiating hostility, Dean would almost think that Balthazar was bored. _(You’re lucky Cassie trust you and I trust him, otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now.)_

Cas’s brother might actually be giving Dean a headache. This is ridiculous and he just might lose his cool, which he definitely shouldn’t. Especially not with one of Cas’s siblings. That would just make Cas hate him, and whatever he does here would just get back to the Council. Then they would hate him and the rebels even more than they already do. And that’s just really no good at all. Sam, Bobby, Ellen, _Cas_ – they would all be super mad with him and Dean wants to avoid that as best he can.

Okay, fine. He’ll let this – this _sassiness_ go. But he still has questions and Balthazar better answer them. The faster he does what Dean wants, the sooner this can be over for the both of them and they can go their separate ways. It just feels _wrong_ being in this meeting spot with someone who isn’t Cas. Balthazar’s scent isn’t even close enough to Cas’s for Dean to be able to fool himself. It’s like him but not _like_ him and it’s just making Dean bitter and more annoyed.

Whatever, fine. Dean huffs and crosses his arms. _(How did the Council find out about us?)_ After a moment, he realizes what he said and adds on to it. _(Cas was really careful about sneaking away for these meetings and I **know** that no bright-fin ever saw me.)_

He went out of his way to make sure of that. And Dean knows for a fact that someone couldn’t have spied on them. If they did, Balthazar wouldn’t have the nerve to meet him out in the open like this at Cas’s request. There would probably be a ton of other bright-fin here too. Obviously no one knows where they meet, so how did they find out? It’s not like Cas would have _told_ them, right? He wouldn’t have done something stupid like that. Especially not if it would end up with him in another damn cave.

This is really getting under Dean’s scales and it’s taking _a lot_ of self-control to keep him from swimming to the trench to break Cas out.

All Balthazar does is shrug. _(He was an idiot, that’s how.)_ He doesn’t explain anything past that.

Dean sighs and rubs a hand over his face. This is going to be difficult. He can practically smell it in the water. Balthazar is _not_ going to be easy to talk to. Time to move on then. _(Well, how are we going to get him out, then?)_

Irritation rolls through the kin-connection at him. _( **You** can’t do anything.)_ He huffs and his fans flicker in the same annoyed way that they do for Cas. _(Anna and I are going to try and talk our brothers into letting Cassie go. He was only doing what he thought was right for the colony.)_

 _(Let me guess. The Council doesn’t agree, huh?)_ Dean grits his teeth and shakes his head. This is complete fish-shit. Cas didn’t do anything wrong.

 _(Half the Council, at least.)_ Balthazar sighs and shrugs again. _(Our brothers can’t pick and choose who gets punished and who doesn’t when the rules are broken. Cassie has to be treated the same as any other bright-fin. Otherwise, Raphael will pitch a fit that would put Mother-sea to shame.)_

Fucking _shit_. Dean groans and starts swimming again, this time in bigger circles. He makes sure not to do them around Balthazar. Cas doesn’t mind it because they’re buddies and all, but other bright-fin might feel like he’s doing something predatory. But he can’t hold still anymore. Dean needs to move and think. There _has_ to be something he can do, no matter what Balthazar says – no matter what _anyone_ says. His scales itch knowing that Cas is in trouble and he’s not doing anything to help him.

Of fucking _course_ Balthazar has to choose right then to swim right into his path. He’s got the same determined look in his eyes that Cas has from time to time. _(Look, Green-eyes, I’m not wasting my whole night to you trying to play the hero like that’s going to change anything you’ve done. Cassie sent me here to let you know what happened and to get whatever report you have for him. So, do you actually **have** anything to tell him?)_

For a minute, Dean’s brain grinds to a halt. _Does_ he have something he should be telling Cas? Oh shit, that’s right. He does! It’s actually some really big news. Dean would _much_ rather be telling it straight to Cas himself instead of this – this – this _not_ -Cas. It just feels _wrong_ talking to a bright-fin that isn’t Cas, and that’s not because Dean misses him. Absolutely not. He’s just – he’s _used_ to Cas, that’s all.

Dean shakes his head to get those thoughts out of it before he does something stupid and accidentally lets them slip into the kin-connection or something. _(Yeah, I do have something for Cas. You can tell him that we’re going to be pulled from battle.)_

Balthazar’s frown goes about as deep as his confusion. _(And what is **that** supposed to mean?)_

See, _Cas_ would have figured out what that meant right away. Now Dean actually needs to _explain_ things. Holy shit, this sucks. _(It **means** that my division is being given a “break”, according to my Council. They claim they’re being all nice and giving us a chance to “rest” since mine and another division are usually the ones being sent out there. Basically it means that we’re being pulled out for the most port and they’re going to be sending in different divisions more often now.)_

He found out about this earlier in the evening. In fact, it was just before everyone was supposed to go to start bedding down for the night. All the captains were called to the Council for this one little announcement and Dean is pretty sure he was the only one _not_ happy to hear this. It made him feel sick to his stomach for a variety of reasons and he hasn’t been looking forward to telling Cas about this. He’s spared that now, but having to tell Balthazar in his place really isn’t helping matters.

 _(That doesn’t sound like a good thing.)_ The confusion clears up and now it’s that same sinking feeling that’s been haunting Dean more or less since he found out himself.

He shakes his head and sighs. _(Yeah, it’s pretty bad.)_

And he’s done explaining things now. If Cas isn’t here, then Dean doesn’t want to be here either. He spends most days telling himself that he doesn’t kinda miss hanging with Cas every day like they were in the cave. Every three days has been – it’s been _okay_. Not spectacular or anything, but it’s been enough. Sorta. But if _three_ fucking days is already hard enough to deal with. But now Dean needs to wait more than a rotation? This is _fish-shit_.

Okay, yes, so Dean would totally want to see Cas more often. But it’s not like that’s a _thing_. And it’s only because Cas is a new friend. He’s like a shiny new thing to play with and all Dean wants to do is play with him all the time until the novelty has worn off. But with Cas, that novelty has already been going on for a whole bunch of rotations more than it should have. That’s the problem. It’s _not_ fading and Dean is quickly coming to think of Cas being one of his most favourite fin-kin in the whole ocean. And _that_ is saying a lot. It says a lot in a kind of scary way that Dean completely and utterly ignores because _no_. No fucking way. Not happening. Nope.

Tonight is fucking _done_ with now. Balthazar is still staring at him expecting more and Dean has nothing else to give. _(Just go tell that to Cas, okay? He’ll know what it means.)_

Balthazar’s specialty in his clan must be frowning because he’d give even Bobby a good run for his title here. _(But then Cassie won’t explain it to me. My family and friends are out on the battlefield every day. I want to know when it’s **our** lives on the line out there.)_

Dean grinds his teeth together and muffles a groan in the back of his throat. Just his luck that Cas’s family is just as stubborn as he is, if not more. _(Fucking **fine**. Let me explain this quick for you.)_ He sighs and rolls his shoulders because this is going to try his patience even more. _(So we’ve got five divisions. The one I command is basically considered to be the bottom feeders of our colony. We’re lowest of the low in the colony’s hierarchy.)_

That stings his pride every time he thinks of it. But at least it’s not _his_ fault they’re considered that. They were that before he took command and they might all rise in the eyes of the colony depending on how this war plays out.

 _(That’s why we’re out in battle the most often. Fang-fin love fighting, but the higher ups in the hierarchy can be fucking **lazy**.) _ Dean’s lip curls in a sneer. He used to want to be one of those fin-kin. The kind that could laze around where they colony has settled so all they have to do is eat and sleep and pick a fight with someone. That was his dream. Now he just wants this war over with and he doesn’t give a shit about what his position will be when it’s done as long as he and everyone he cares about are all alive.

 _(So, my division and the one that we beside the most are pretty much all rebels.)_ Give or take a few fin-kin, probably. _(And then we’ve got some more rebels in one of the other three divisions. I don’t know the exact number.)_ He shrugs and waves his hands in a vague gesture. _(But the point is that the majority of the other divisions aren’t rebels. **Those** divisions are way further under the Council’s thumb than anyone else in the colony. And we think that this little “break” is them suspecting that they’ve been lied to about how hard it’s getting to kill you bright-fin.)_

Scary enough, Balthazar actually looks like he’s paying attention. He’s got the same attentive stare that Cas usually has when he’s listening. Dean can definitely see how he’s Cas brother now. But he’s still not Cas and Dean still wants this over with soon. There’s just not much else he can really say on this subject anymore. _(Long story short, that means you guys are going to **really** watch your backs. The fang-fin you’re going to be fighting are actually going to be trying to kill you now.)_

A muscle in Balthazar’s jaw twitches as he clenches it. He gives Dean a tight little nod and looks back towards the bright-fin colony. _(Duly noted. I’ll tell Cassie and the Council.)_

Dean huffs a heavy breath through his gills. _(Yeah, sure, do that. Go ahead and tell them if you want to get in the same kind of trouble that Cas is in.)_

He raises an eyebrow when a smug smile passes over Balthazar’s face and the feeling is reflected through the kin-connection. _(I’m part of the recon division. I’ll just pass this off as something I’ve learned from spying on you lot and hopefully they’ll get the hint.)_ Balthazar shrugs and shakes his head, his thoughts taking an amused edge to them. _(If they can’t figure it out, then Cassie will just flat out tell them and Raphael will chew his own fins off trying to figure out how Cassie learned that while he’s supposed to be in punishment.)_

If there’s one thing that Dean will admire about Balthazar right now, it’s that he’s a lot more open with his emotions right now than Cas ever was when they first met. That might just be because Balthazar sorta trusts him because he trusts Cas’s judgement. Or he’s just plain stupid. Either way, Dean is a little impressed by it.

But that gets wiped out by what Balthazar just said. _(So Cas gets in shit again and you’re going to get off clean as a crab?)_

 _(Good sweet Mother-sea, no way!)_ He tilts his head back with a laugh, fins rippling like Dean actually managed to amuse him. _(Our brothers would know it was me in a heartbeat. But at least then Cassie would actually have some company.)_

Dean snorts and rolls his eyes. Okay, so Balthazar might be quickly becoming Dean’s second favourite bright-fin. It’s not a hard thing to do, since he’s literally the second bright-fin that Dean has ever come in contact with. But really it’s because Balthazar has Cas’s back. That immediately puts him in Dean’s good graces – for now, at least. Just because he tolerates him doesn’t mean he actually _likes_ him. He likes Cas, but that was earned through sheer awesomeness. Balthazar has a long way to go for that.

Well, that’s that. They must be done talking now, right? Dean can’t think of anything else that he wants to talk about, so yeah, they’re done. Thank Mother-sea. Now he can go back to Sam and the others and spend the rest of the night not sulking that he’s not going to get to see Cas for a while now. Too bad Balthazar apparently has entirely different plans.

 _(So... it is true, right?)_ He fills the kin-connection with a mild curiosity, like he could leave without asking it but he’s being a dick and not leaving. _(Cassie said that you’ve been bringing fang-fin over to the -)_ Balthazar pauses, looking for the right thoughts to use. _(- the dark side?)_

What the hell? What the fuck is “the dark side”? Does he think that what the rebels are doing is the _wrong_ thing? No, Cas’s brother wouldn’t be at _those_ levels of stupid. _(Yeah, no. We just call it converting Council lovers into rebels.)_

_(Well that sounds **wonderful**.)_

It’s a thought loaded with sarcasm and Dean rolls his eyes at it. _(Whatever. We’re converting more fang-fin every day, so we’ve got about a little less than half the colony on our side.)_ He shrugs because it’s just about there, more or less.

To his surprise, Balthazar apparently has the guts to actually _touch_ him. It comes in a pat on the shoulder. _(Keep doing what you’re doing.)_ As if there’s anything else he could do.

Dean is pretty sure that Balthazar is pushing his boundaries. He’s still testing him and Dean stares at his hand before he looks at him again. Balthazar retracts his hand slowly and puts a little distance between them. It’s not that Dean doesn’t like being touched, he just doesn’t like it when it’s someone he barely knows. If would probably be an entirely different thing if it was _Cas_.

 _(Yeah, well, I’ll keep “doing what I’m doing” as long as **you** get Cas out of wherever they’re keeping him.)_ Because it’s not fair that Cas is getting punished for actually helping both colonies.

Balthazar snorts a hard laugh and twists to brush past him. _(I can only do so much.)_ He swims a little way and stops to look back. _(Cassie broke the big rule about not talking to you, and now he’s going to have to do the time for it.)_

In all honestly, that probably shouldn’t have a pleased sensation drip down his spine. It happens anyways and Dean makes absolutely sure that it can’t be felt in the kin-connection. But a small smile forces its way onto his lips. _(I guess that makes Cas kind of a rebel, huh?)_

It’s a bad joke, but he doesn’t care. What he _does_ care about is how that makes Balthazar stop completely. _(He didn’t used to be.)_

And just like that, Dean is suddenly interested in talking again. Could he actually learn more about Cas? That would be awesome! He bites his lip and cautiously adds a little more to their “conversation”. _(Yeah, well, I’m told I tend to bring out the worst in people.)_

Instead of agreeing, Balthazar turns away. His single back-fin flickers slightly and there’s a tension in the kin-connection like he doesn’t want to admit what he’s about to say. _(Or the best.)_ He huffs and turns around sharply. _(I’m only going to say this once and I’m not going to explain what I mean by it. You can take whatever it is that you from this but –)_

Balthazar’s jaw juts out stubbornly and the muscle on the side of it ticks again. _(But Cassie has been **different** since he came back from the dead.)_ His eyes narrow into a squint. _(His whole life, Cassie has never done more than what was asked of him. He was the perfect little soldier; doing whatever he was told to do and fighting this war because he needed to.)_

He sighs and relaxes slightly with an almost fond smile. _(And now he’s really trying to end this war. If he’s not fighting, then he’s spending every waking moment with the Council to plead your case. Cassie has a passion in him that I haven’t seen since we were hatchlings.)_

And then the smile is gone and Balthazar gets all tense again. Dean is just staring at him, waiting to find out where this is going. All he gets is a frown that crease Balthazar’s whole face and a kin-connection full of a strained gratitude. _(So, thank you for that.)_

With that, Balthazar turns away again. It feels like he’s leaving a lot left unsaid, but Dean can’t bring himself to ask for it. Instead, he could probably make a few incredibly sappy guesses of his own. It’s probably shit like “thanks for giving Cas something to believe in again”. Or maybe it’s something like “thanks for giving Cas hope again”. Or if Dean wants to get _really_ disgustingly gross about this, it might be something like “thanks for making Cas smile again”.

Holy _shit_. That makes Dean feel like he’s burning in his skin and scales. It’s like he swam too close to a vent and he’s going to boil alive in a neat little him-shaped shell. He’s got a whole weird mix of feelings stirring together in his belly. A good portion of it makes him feel kind of tingly and a little happy. The rest is mostly worry because what the _fuck_. He didn’t really do anything to help Cas. It was all Sam and the others who told Cas everything he needed to know. All Dean does is meet with him every few days.

 _(Well, yeah, okay. Just – uh –)_ Sweet Mother-sea, he’s actually _embarrassed_. Dean runs a hand through his hair and turns away. He doesn’t want to give Balthazar the chance to start talking again, so he starts swimming back the way he came.

There’s just one important parting thing he has to say. _(Just don’t let Cas get himself killed, okay?)_

And now there’s nothing else. All he knows is that he doesn’t want anything to happen to Cas. Really, Cas is probably the safest he’ll ever be in this war right where he is. But _still_ , he’s trapped again and it just feels so _wrong_. Dean hates it. Thinking about Cas being stuck up in some cave again is making him actually feel sick to his stomach.

Balthazar’s laugh echoes back to him through the water. _(He’s my baby brother. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep anything from happening to him.)_

There’s a feeling that Dean knows all too well. Even if Balthazar doesn’t see it, he nods in agreement. _(Good.)_ Hopefully Cas will be in good hands with his brother.

Their goodbyes are brief and Dean is pretty sure that Balthazar doesn’t look back. He doesn’t either, and he doesn’t let the kin-connection hold for long. He cuts that while taking the time to call out echoes all around him to make sure that no one is following him. It’s just to be on the safe side. He’d rather not risk having someone pop out from behind a rock and take a swing at him while he’s in the middle of some deep thoughts about everything he just talked to Balthazar about.

As much as he hates to admit it, the swim back is mostly filled with him being worried about Cas and hoping that he can really trust Balthazar to carry his message to him. But that happy-sick feeling brewing in his belly is something that he’s _definitely_ going to have to deal with before he gets back to the colony. He can’t have it distracting him when he’s got terrible leaders to overthrow and a war to stop and important fang-fin to protect. There are fang-fin to bring over to the rebel’s side and he’s needs to make sure the others focus on the converting the divisions that the Council is going to start sending out now.

Things are starting to change again. Not by much, but they are and Dean isn’t really sure that he knows exactly how he feels about all of this – or about a lot of things for that matter. And that worries him.

* * *

Castiel stays up for as long as he’s able to. At some point he probably dozes a little bit, but that’s mostly from utter boredom. There isn’t much to do in the healer’s cave and especially in the middle of the night. If he had something to entertain him or something to actually  _do_ , then he would have no trouble with staying awake. But there is  _nothing_ . No one to talk to and too little a space to properly swim. All Castiel has are his thoughts and that’s not enough to stave off sleep.

 

He’s trying to keep awake because Balthazar is supposed to return with a report about his meeting with Dean. But as the night slowly slides on, there’s nothing. In between his short naps before he flinches himself awake to nothing, Castiel starts to worry. Did something happen to Balthazar? He fully believes that Dean wouldn’t do anything to hurt Balthazar, but anything could have happened to him on the swim to the meeting place or back.

Or he could have been caught by the Council when he returned and now he’s being punished in another part of the trench, somewhere outside of the reach of the kin-connection. Castiel has reached out to the very limit of the link, trying to find out if Balthazar has come back yet. But everyone within reach is sleeping or they’re his guards and refusing to talk to him. He can reach the minds of the sentries, but the last thing he wants to do is ask them if they’ve seen Balthazar. That would just raise questions he can’t answer without getting the both of them in trouble.

By morning, Castiel has barely slept. Anticipation and worry have kept his brief naps extra short. His fins keep rippling and he finds it hard to hold still, or to hold his thoughts when he manages to touch a multitude of minds. There aren’t nearly as many bright-fin in the colony trench right now as he’s used to, and all of them have been ordered not to speak to him. He can touch their minds and even form links with them, but he’s supposed to be in seclusion as his punishment and all the links are practically completely blocked.

The only fin-kin that Castiel is allowed to actually speak to is family or the Council. But even they barely answer his touches, and he absolutely can’t ask Michael, Lucifer, or Gabriel about Balthazar’s whereabouts. But the longer he waits, the more his scales itch with the worry that something happened to him, and the more Castiel actually considers asking them. He’s just going to have to figure out a way to ask them without actually _asking_ them.

When the healers bring him breakfast, Castiel makes an attempt. _(Have you heard from my brother, Balthazar? He said he would visit this morning and he hasn’t even touched my mind yet.)_ As far as he can tell, that shouldn’t raise any suspicions. It’s all more or less the truth too.

The healer tilts her head in thought while she gives dumps a bag full of oysters next to him. _(Is he a part of the reconnaissance garrison?)_

Castiel’s heart lurches unpleasantly and he nods. _(Yes.)_

 _(They moved on first thing this morning.)_ She shrugs and places another bag next to him. This one should be half full of fish and Castiel can also eat the bag if he feels like he’s in the mood for some kelp. _(As I understand it, the reconnaissance garrison was switched out so your garrison could come in and take their place here.)_

He winces and looks away. He had forgotten that would be the plan. _(Thank you.)_ The gratitude spans both the food and the information.

Once she leaves, Castiel allows himself to slump over with a frown. Well this is unfortunate. But even though he was going to be leaving in the morning, Balthazar should have contacted him the moment he returned. Since he didn’t, does that mean he never came home? Or did he just forget? Castiel knows for a fact that Balthazar didn’t even attempt to touch his mind throughout the night. No one did and such a touch would have woken him up if he had tried during one of the few moments when he was sleeping.

No, Balthazar _must_ be back and with his garrison. There would be an uproar and a call going out through the trench if he was missing. Balthazar’s garrison captain is a very capable leader. She wouldn’t leave without making sure that her entire garrison was with her. So that means Balthazar forgot about him. That sours Castiel’s mood even further and he flicks at his food unhappily. How could his own brother just _forget_ about him like that?

And Castiel refuses to believe that Balthazar stayed out all night at the meeting place. He hardly thinks that Dean would have tolerated spending too much time with someone else. Fang-fin are very private and they don’t trust easily. Castiel isn’t even sure that Dean fully trusts _him_. Though – Well – To be _completely_ honest, he might be slightly hoping that Dean doesn’t trust anyone easily and that Castiel might be a special case. Because it _is_ somewhat possible that Dean trusted in him a little before they actually left the cave.

With a groan, Castiel crosses his arms and hides his face in them. His tail slaps against the cave floor in annoyance, all of his fans twitching with it. He’s annoyed and unhappy and worried and he doesn’t like feeling like this. It’s all Balthazar’s fault and, in some sense, Dean’s fault too. Mostly, though, it’s _his_. He wouldn’t be in this position at all if he hadn’t let his emotions get the best of him and let slip too many hints about what he’s been up too.

By the time a visitor does arrive for him, it’s closer to lunch and he still hasn’t eaten. Castiel’s head pops up at the first touch and he stares at the entrance to his side cave. His fans spread and his adipose fins spread in delight at the touch. It’s not Balthazar, but Castiel is still happy to see the orange glow come up the tunnel before Anna comes around the corner. Their greetings have been twisting through the kin-connection since she touched his thoughts, but now is when Castiel smiles in welcome. It feels like it’s been too long since he’s seen here.

As such, it’s a bit of a surprise when she swims right up to him and smacks him upside the head instead of hugging him. _(You’re an idiot.)_ And that’s when she drops the walls around her thoughts and the full brunt of her disapproval rocks Castiel in place.

 _(Excuse me?)_ Castiel withdraws to avoid any further hitting and rubs the back of his head.

 _(You were sneaking off to meet with a fang-fin!)_ Her outrage is palpable and Castiel shrinks from it. _(And worse yet, you were doing it **without me**!) _ Anna crosses her arms angrily and bares her teeth at him. _(No **wonder** you got caught.)_

He ducks his head in embarrassment and stares at his lap, his tail curled under him. _(They – um – they didn’t actually **catch** me.)_

Her annoyed disapproval melts into curiosity. _(That’s not what I heard.)_

 _(They **didn’t** catch me. I –)_ Castiel shifts in place and bites his lip. _(I told them.)_ Completely by accident in the heat of the moment, but he still ended up telling them.

Anna rolls her eyes and her hands move to her hips. _(Now why would you do something silly like that?)_

 _(I made a mistake.)_ He shrugs and rubs at the back of his head again. _(I gave too many clues and they figured it out.)_

She huffs and he doesn’t need to look up to know that her fans are flaring unhappily. _(Now you’re even **more** of an idiot.)_

Castiel looks up and fixes her with a glare. _(I will admit that I made a mistake, but if you were as frustrated with the Council as I was – as I still **am** – you would have make the same mistakes.)_

A playful teasing smile plays across her lips and she shakes her head. _(I doubt it.)_

Now it’s his turn to roll his eyes at her. _(You’re not perfect, Anna.)_

Her thoughts are still playful when she draws closing, floating over him in an attempt to look menacing. It used to work on him, but that was many seasons ago – back when they were still hatchlings. _(You watch your thoughts there, Castiel. You may be my little brother, but I’ll still whoop your tail from one side of the trench to the other.)_

His jaw aches with how hard he clenches it, but he still stares her down in defiance. It’s been much too long for her to even think that she can intimidate him anymore. Anna matches his stare for a few moments before she breaks down giggling. Castiel cracks almost at the same time. Laughter doesn’t come easy during a war and he’s more than happy to have it right now as he reaches for her. Anna comes willingly and she wraps him in a tight hug, her tail twisting around him too until she’s practically sitting in his lap.

With a soft sigh, she leans back and touches his face fondly, her thumbs brushing his cheeks. _(It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you laugh properly.)_

Castiel leans into the touch. He hasn’t had the chance to actually be _touched_ by someone in too long. And his siblings are the only fin-kin he’s comfortable with being physically close to. There are no romantic or sexual connotations regarding any of the hugging or gentle face touches that they do, but it is a comfort to him. He loathes the day that they’ll find mates of their own and eventually stop being close to each other.

 _(There hasn’t been much to give me the will to laugh lately.)_ He sighs and touches Anna’s face too, a gentle sweep of fingers before he tucks the long strands of her hair behind her head-fans.

Curiosity flutters across the edges of his mind. _(And has something changed to give you back that will?)_

Yes, there has. But he doesn’t want to tell her that his friendship with Dean has played a large part of that. Instead, Castiel smiles softly. _(Hope.)_ He leans back and takes her hands between his own, squeezing them tightly. _(I have **hope** now, Anna. Dean and the rebels have given me that and I want to do the same for them.)_

His smile falls and he looks down at their hands with a frown, his frustration feeding into the kin-connection. _(But our Council is being so **stubborn** that –)_

Her thoughts flickering into a wry amusement. _(Is it the **Council** , or is it just two specific boulder-brains?)_

 _(Two **very specific** boulder-brains.) _Castiel rolls his eyes and heaves a heavy sigh through his gills. _(I’m so close to being driven to extremes by their stubbornness. When I snap, no one is going to be happy.)_

Anna laughs and shakes her head. _(Well, as long as our brothers aren’t the ones being idiots.)_ The moment Castiel looks away again, she huffs. _(Out with it, Castiel. What are they doing?)_

Well, it’s not like they’re perfect compared to Raphael and Metatron, but still. _(I honestly don’t know. Gabriel has been the most vocal about giving me and the rebels a chance to prove our merit, but I’m not sure if he completely believes me.)_ Castiel shrugs and sighs again, slumping back against the wall of the cave. _(Lucifer has been mostly quiet on the matter and Michael – well, he’s the leader of our colony. War changes our ways and he can’t make many decisions like this without the full consent of the Council. Siding with the rebels could make or break this war for us.)_

For a long moment, Anna just stares at him. Her fans are all spread and her thoughts are rushing behind the edges of her mind. She’s up to something and Castiel has to wait for it before she sighs softly. _(Well, I guess we’ve got something that might change their mind now.)_

And that catches Castiel’s attention better than anything. He sits forward, his fans spreading out excited. _(What do you mean by that? Who’s “ **we** ”?)_

A wicked grin stretches across her face, almost catching Castiel by surprise with its sudden appearance. _(I **guess** I should tell you now, but I ran into Balthazar when I was swimming to the trench this morning. I was on my way back the moment that my garrison got notice of what was happening with you.)_

Oh no. Castiel can see where this is heading. He groans and covers his face with both hands. _(Please tell me that Balthazar didn’t bring you in on this.)_

She pats the top of his head and pity tickles through the kin-connection. _(He absolutely brought me on this. Do you know how much I **hate** being the last person to know something? That’s so **rude** , Castiel.)_

Of _course_ Balthazar would tell her. Castiel slaps his tail on the floor, nearly dislodging Anna from her place on it, and actually vocalizes a curse. _(Does Balthazar not understand the meaning of the world **secret**?) _ Now Anna knows and it’s just a matter of time before Balthazar blabs to someone else too.

Anna laughs and shoves him hard enough that he ends up leaning back against the wall again. _(Oh, believe me, Balthazar **does** know how to keep a secret. But I had a nice little “talk” with him and he had no choice but to tell me all about it.)_

Castiel shudders and looks away. Whatever anger he felt for Balthazar moments ago has slid into nothing but pity. He wouldn’t trade places with him for the world. Being on the end of one of Anna’s “talks” is never a good thing. _(How – uh – how did you know that he knew something?)_

She shrugs and sits back, looking as smug as smug can be. _(Because he was trying to convince his garrison captain that he needed to come back and say goodbye to you.)_

 _(How is that considered unusual enough to warrant torturing the information out of him?)_ There is no doubt in Castiel’s mind that Balthazar really was borderline tortured for this.

Her smug look overflows right into the kin-connection and she grins at him. _(At any other time he would have just up and left without asking for permission. He only ever follows the rules when he’s got something to hide.)_

Unfortunately, that’s true. Castiel sighs and rubs his hand over his face and through his hair. _(Fine. Now that you’re in on it, what did he tell you? Everything?)_

Anna shrugs and she slides out of his lap to stretch out across the floor of the cave. _(How am I supposed to know that it’s everything? All I know is that he has a very important message from Green-eyes that he had to get to you.)_

 _(His name is Dean.)_ Castiel frowns. He almost hates that nickname for Dean now that he actually knows him. _(What’s the message?)_

The kin-connection opens wide as Anna shares with him the entire memory of what Balthazar shared with her. In fact, it’s Balthazar’s exact memory from the conversation with Dean. Castiel bites his lip and watches it play it out in his mind, his eyes closed to make it easier to pay attention to. He keeps the memory fresh and let’s it run over and over in his head until he fully understands all the implications of it. In fact, he’s verging on horrified because of it.

_(This is not good.)_

And now he doesn’t know what he should do with this information. It’s not like Castiel can just take it to the Council right this minute. Well, he _could_ , but then they’re just going to wonder how he got it and that would just get Balthazar and Anna in trouble. He couldn’t do that to his siblings. But there has to be something that he can do! He just – Castiel just needs to think about it for a little while. He’ll examine the memory for a while longer and then maybe he’ll be able to –

The amusement that tickles his mind draws Castiel out of his thoughts. He lifts his head and frowns at Anna’s smile. _(What?)_

 _(You’re worrying about how to tell the Council, aren’t you?)_ She waits for him to nod before continuing. _(Don’t you worry little brother, Balthazar is going to take care of filling them in on this. More or less.)_

He raises his eyebrows in surprise, the kin-connection vibrating with it. _(What? How is he –)_

His frown only gets deeper as Anna interrupts him. Normally he can forgive that. But what chafes his scales right now is that she was holding out on him. She fills the kin-connection with the rest of the memories that she should have given him before. This time, it includes Balthazar’s plans for how he’s going to break the news to the Council.

Despite his scowl, Castiel manages to relax slightly. _(That’s good to know. But do you know how long he happens to be planning on waiting to do that?)_

 _(Not long.)_ She shrugs. _(Tomorrow at the latest, probably. He said that his captain was planning to send him and few others out on a scouting mission today to give them something to do now that they’re back out there. It’ll make more sense for him to have that kind of announcement  for the Council when he comes back from something like that.)_

Without realizing it, one of Castiel’s hands strays to one of his adipose fins. He starts pinching and rolling it between his fingers while he stares across the cave, his mind working to pick out any flaws in the plan. Maybe he’s just tired, or maybe he’s losing his touch, but he’s fairly certain that he can’t find anything. Either way, he certainly hopes that things will work out with Balthazar’s plan. He’s fairly adept at finding ways to twist things to sound like the truth to the point that it’s hard even for his siblings to tell when he’s only telling half-truths.

The silence between him and Anna stretches for a while. There’s not much else for them to say on this subject and it seems that Balthazar filled her in sufficiently on everything that he knows. And after yesterday, Balthazar is essentially up to speed on everything. Castiel has nothing more to tell her on the subject. In fact, now that they’re done talking, he fully expects her to get back to her garrison and what she should be doing.

Of course, Anna rarely does what he expects her to do. Instead, she turns onto her belly and props her chin up on her hands. The single fin on her back spreads and folds a few times. She’s waiting for something. More than that, actually. She’s _up_ to something. It’s never a good thing to be on the receiving end of that kind of look.

Castiel narrows his eyes at her and his side-fans fold closed slightly. _(What?)_

 _(So, you’ve been having all kinds of secret meetings with Green-eyes.)_ At the disapproval that Castiel dumps into the kin-connection, she rolls her eyes and corrects herself. _(Sorry. You’ve been having secret meets with **Dean**.)_

This must be a trap. Castiel doesn’t know how, but he just _knows_ it is. _(Yes...?)_

_(Tell me about them. About him.)_

He frowns and his glare doesn’t let up. _(Why?)_

_(Because secret meetings are **so** romantic.)_

Her thoughts are full of teasing edges and she actually laughs when Castiel’s nose crinkles. He rolls his eyes at both her joking thoughts and the curiosity that comes along with it. Anna really is serious, but she’s also poking fun at him just because she can. Castiel also knows that she’s not going to leave him alone until he _does_ talk about it in some way, shape, or form. That’s just her nature, and he does love having her here. It’s been far too long since he last got to spend any significant amount of time with her.

With a sigh, he concedes and makes himself comfortable to start sharing his memories about his meetings with Dean. It will help to pass the time until Balthazar gets back from his supposed mission and things can get moving again. That could be quite some time for all that Castiel knows. But he hopes that it’s soon. He can’t stand sitting here doing nothing to help their colonies, and to help Dean. And hopefully he’ll also be able to find a way to meet with him again.

Because, no matter what his Council says, Castiel will continue to meet with him – for more reasons than he cares to analyze.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(You didn’t.)_ A hand rests on his shoulder for an all too awkward moment. _(It’s true. It stings, but it’s true. I did a lot of shit – all of us did – and that’s not gonna go away any time soon.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going on vacation and coming back to a two foot pile of work left me so drained that it took literally forever to get this chapter out. I'm so sorry for the wait! Work should be cooling down now and I'll hopefully be less mentally drained to write in the evening again.
> 
> Sorry for the delay and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Anna is still visiting when Balthazar finally comes back to the colony the next day. The healers have enlisted Castiel’s help, along with Anna’s, to grind ingredients into pastes to use in their various medical salves and sort ingredients into storage containers. It’s not exactly _boring_ work, since it takes a careful hand and careful measuring to do it. Castiel doesn’t mind it. Anna, on the other hand, spends half the day complaining about it.

 _(If I wanted to do the work of the healers, I would have opted to actually **be** one.)_ She blows water through her gills in a bored sigh.

Castiel doesn’t look up from carefully filling a clam shell with flakes of fishbone. _(I know I’ve told you this before, but I feel it needs reiterating. **I’m** the only one who actually **has** to be here. **You** are free to leave whenever you want.)_ His thoughts turn amusing as he prods at the edges of her mind. _(Don’t you have a garrison you should be leading?)_

With little regard for what they’re doing. Anna slaps at him with the end of her tail. _(Keep talking like that and I’ll happily ditch your tail here and go back to doing something that’s actually interesting.)_

He spares her a grin before tying the clamshell closed with a strip of kelp. _(You’ll be doing that anyways when Lucifer or Raphael finds out that you’ve been here this whole time. I’m supposed to be in trouble, you know. Not spending time with visitors.)_

She rolls her eyes at him and flicks her tail again. _(Let them be mad. It’s not your fault that the Council is being a bunch of –)_

Castiel cuts her off with a sharp touch through their link. While kept in the cave, his mind has been loosely connected to their brothers on the Council through the general trench-wide kin-connection. It’s rarely more than a background noise to him, but it keeps everyone in the trench’s vicinity in communication with each other. In this case, he shushed Anna because Gabriel pulled the link they share wide open, filling it with his desire for Castiel’s presence at the Council’s auditorium.

 _(What?)_ Anna’s adipose fins roll and lift her from the cave floor. _(What is it? What’s happening?)_

 _(Gabriel.)_ He waves a hand to shush her and turns his thoughts onto Gabriel’s link, pulsing curiosity and worry at him. _(Is everything alright?)_

Whatever amusement Gabriel is feeling right now does nothing to help calm Castiel’s concern. _(We need to talk to you. Balthazar just showed up with a theory and the whole Council is just itching to hear what your take is on it.)_

If anything, that doubles Castiel’s worry. Anna said that Balthazar would come back with a false “theory” made up of what Dean had told them about. So, then why does the Council want to talk to _him_? It can’t be just because he’s apparently the reigning expert on fang-fin now, can it? That would certainly make sense. And, honestly, Castiel hopes that’s the truth. He’d rather not find out it’s actually because they know that he sent Balthazar in his place.

Except, judging from Gabriel’s thoughts, he probably does know. If Castiel was in trouble, Gabriel would let him know now. In fact, Balthazar would be telling him too. Just the feeling that Castiel is getting from Gabriel through the kin-connection is enough evidence that someone he knows. That is only further confirmed by the look he receives when he and Anna swim into the auditorium. There’s a half smirk tilting Gabriel’s lips and a knowing look in his eyes. The same look is missing from the rest of the Council and Balthazar doesn’t look contrite, so it should be a safe assumption to make that Gabriel is the only one who knows. Likely because he _guessed_. Luckily, any attention is directed to Anna almost immediately upon their arrival.

 _(What are **you** doing here?)_ Lucifer’s frowns darkly and actually rises up from his seat. _(You’re supposed to be with your garrison.)_

Anna flares her fans defensively and just barely keeps from crossing her arms stubbornly. _(Because my little brother was being punished and I came to make sure that our Council hasn’t been bullying him.)_ Lucifer’s glare turns to Castiel, but Anna speaks over him before he can make any further accusations. _(Don’t even start with him. Castiel told me exactly what happened and I agree that he shouldn’t have been hiding what he was doing from us. But I also agree with him that what he did was **necessary**. If the Council won’t work to end this war, then someone has to.)_

Raphael’s glow brightens as his ire fills the kin-connection. _(You have a garrison to lead, Anna. Return to it before you face punishment.)_

 _(I have just as much right to be here as you do.)_ She rolls her tail and rises in the water until she’s on an even level with the Council. _(Has the war changed our ways so much that members of the colony are not allowed to bear witness to Council meetings?)_

Michael raises his hand in front of Raphael to stop him from responding. He does the same to Lucifer, both of them with tempers ready to act. _(Anna –)_

 _(Family comes first.)_ Anna interrupts, her jaw jutting out determinedly. _(I will **not** be the only member of our family not present while the Council **interrogates** our brothers.) _ She gestures towards where Balthazar is floating off to the side.

Gabriel’s amusement is likely only an irritation to the Council at this point, but it doesn’t affect his smile in the slightest. _(As long as you promise to sit on the stages and keep your thoughts to yourself, I don’t see what’s so wrong with having you sit in.)_ He twists to lean and give a pointed look to Raphael. _(With the topic we’re going to be discussing, shouldn’t we have **all** the garrison leaders here? This is going to affect them more than us, after all. **They’re** the ones fighting out there.)_

Surprisingly, Metatron lets slip some of his own amusement into the kin-connection. _(A perfectly valid point. Too bad we don’t have the time to send swimmers to the other garrison leaders. They’ll just have to take word to them **after** the meeting.) _ He tilts his head in gesture at Balthazar. _(We have more important things to discuss now, don’t we?)_

Castiel can tell that Anna wants to debate more. He’s honestly surprised when she turns and swims to the side of the auditorium to sit on one of the many stony shelves there. Her arms are still crossed and she’s still frowning, but she’s not speaking out against the Council and that’s what matters right now. She does, however, brush a supporting touch against Castiel’s mind. It’s all she needs to do and Castiel responds with a wave of gratefulness, delighted to know that she’s hear to back him up if he needs it.

 _(Fine!)_ Raphael sighs loudly and sits on his pillar again. _(As long as we can get back to what we’re **supposed** to be doing now.) _ He waves his hand at Castiel and points to the dais in the middle of the auditorium. _(Sit.)_

Anna’s annoyance with Raphael flares up, but she doesn’t say anything about the tone of his thoughts. Which is good, supposedly. Castiel doesn’t mind one way or another. Being on the Council is difficult and the war has been nothing but a strain on everyone. If Raphael is short with him, it’s understandable – though not very appreciated. And there is a reason why Raphael is one of his least favourite members of the colony, after all.

Michael rubs a hand over his face and sits on his pillar with a sigh. _(Please, let’s just get this done with and then everyone can get back to what they’re **supposed** to be doing.) _ He spares a pointed look at Anna before looking back to Castiel. _(Do you know why we’ve summoned you?)_

 _(Gabriel said that Balthazar had a theory and you want my opinion on it.)_ Castiel shrugs and lifts his chin to look at the Council. He has to be very careful about what he says. _(I’m assuming it has something to do with the fang-fin.)_ Which, really, that’s just logic right there and hopefully no one will question it.

Metatron nods, but he cocks his head to the side and narrows his eyes in a squint. There’s a moment where he strokes the short beard around his mouth before he drops his hand. _(Your brother believes that the fang-fin might be changing their strategy.)_

Castiel gets the distinct feeling that he’s been tested. He ignores it to . He pulses curiosity into the kin-connection at everyone and spares a glance at Balthazar. _(What makes you think that?)_ Hopefully there isn’t anything suspicious about that. After all, Castiel _is_ curious about what kind of story Balthazar told them about what he learned from Dean.

 _(They weren’t your rebels.)_ Balthazar shrugs, though he doesn’t sound entirely convinced. Castiel attributes that to how this is a lie yet not a lie. _(At least, I think they weren’t. Everyone knows that we’ve basically been seeing the same groups of fang-fin this whole time, more or less. Both on the field and while we’re out scouting. But I didn’t recognize the ones I saw.)_ Of course he didn’t. There _weren’t_ any fang-fin to recognize. _(So, basically, I’ve got the feeling that the fang-fin are changing over and those rebels of yours aren’t going to be fighting us anymore. If that makes any sense.)_

It does, but for different reasons than the Council _should_ be thinking. Castiel frowns at Balthazar before he looks down at his hands. He needs to act like he’s thinking about it. Everyone is silent for a moment, letting him mull it over. Raphael doesn’t let him do it for too long.

_(Can you corroborate your brother’s **hunch**?)_

That is, quite possibly, the stupidest question Castiel has ever heard. He looks up and his frown gets even deeper. _(No?)_

A sneer spreads across Raphael’s lips and his thoughts taking a mocking edge to them. _(So what you’re saying is that we having nothing to worry about then?)_

He’s trying to provoke him. There are a number of reasons why, but Castiel refuses to give him the satisfaction. _(If the fang-fin are making any changes, Dean likely would have told me about at the meeting I **missed** thanks to the lot of you. Without keeping in contact with the rebels, we’re in the dark about the fang-fin plans. I don’t understand how you expect me to confirmanything.)_

Raphael’s sneer falls into a dark frown. Displeasures flickers through the kin-connection before he blocks Castiel from it. He’s not the only one who does that, though. Everyone on the Council closes their minds to the spectators and they turn to face each other. Whatever they’re discussion amongst themselves only makes Raphael’s disposition sour further. Metatron wrinkles his nose and shakes his head, but he doesn’t seem to dislike the discussion as much.

Anna and Balthazar are now sitting together and the both of them are keeping quiet. Or, at least, they’re keeping quiet to Castiel. For all he knows, they could be talking to each other in their own private link. He’s the only one sitting here in silence, waiting for something to happen. This war has brought about the first and only time that he’s ever disliked the bright-fin way. Before this, he never would have objected to the Council telling him what it is and isn’t alright to do. Now he hates it. Everything that he wants to do is being denied to him because of his Council and it’s leaving a bitter stain on his heart.

 _(Castiel.)_ Michael swims forward from his pillar slightly, drawing everyone’s attention to himself. They must have come to a decision and Castiel straightens his back, ready to listen.

_(We accept that your Dean –)_

His fans flare out in annoyance and Castiel barely stops himself from rolling his eyes. _(He’s not **mine**.) _ Castiel can feel a heat building in his cheeks, but he ignores it. _(Dean is my **friend**.)_

Michael raises an eyebrow and something like amusement burns through the kin-connection from Anna and Balthazar. They immediately hide that before Castiel can chastise them for it. But he still turns a dark glare on them.

 _(Alright, Castiel.)_ Michael sighs and shakes his head. _(What you’ve said about your **friend** , Dean, has **seemed** true thus far. We can’t deny that Dean and his rebels haven’t been killing us. But is it true that they’re usually the ones being sent to battle?)_

Castiel wracks his memories for the many conversations he’s had with the Dean. He’s pretty sure that’s what Dean said once upon a time. _(Yes. Dean’s division is one of the lower ranking ones in his colony, so they’re given the most work to do. He said that the rebels have been focusing on converting the fang-fin who are sent out the most often to minimize how many are trying to kill us.)_

 _(And if they’re going to be changing that –)_ Lucifer starts, leaving the thought open ended.

 _(It means that the death toll is going to rise.)_ Castiel finishes the thought grimly. _(The other divisions have very few rebels in them. I have no doubt that if the fang-fin Council is ordering other divisions to take the field more often, the fighting is going to get much more aggressive again.)_

Gabriel groans and flops back on his pillar, folding over backwards to dangling his arms and tail over either side. _(This means we’re going to have to change our own plans now, doesn’t it?)_

Metatron hums, his mind thoughtful as he touches the kin-connection gently. _(Only if this isn’t nothing.)_

 _(But can we take that risk?)_ Lucifer brings to light the most important question of all.

Michael already knows the answer. _(No, not with the lives of our people.)_

He has never looked so old to Castiel as he does now. The war is aging him. Forcing him into making decisions he should never have had to make. Castiel’s heart aches for the strain his brothers have been put under. For a moment, he truly feels guilty for all his actions to this point. His secrets regarding Dean and the rebels have only made things harder for them.

 _(Castiel.)_ Michael presses at the edges of his mind to get his attention. _(If Balthazar’s hunch turns out to be the truth, then your rescue teams will be very important to us again. And –)_ He takes a deep breath and lets it out through his gills slowly, as if he’s bracing himself for something. _(If this change truly happens, then we will meet with your rebels.)_

The shock that rocks the kin-connection isn’t just Castiel’s. Raphael’s outrage burns over it. _(You can’t decide that! Meeting with the fang-fin rebels is a **Council** decision!)_

 _(When members of our Council are being too stubborn to listen to reason, then I will overrule them.)_ Michael turns a cold, hard look on Raphael. _(And, frankly, I don’t care anymore. We’ve been bowing our heads to you and your obstinate opinions despite everything that Castiel has shown us. I’ve been putting up with it to maintain peace between us, but I’m done. I want to meet with the rebels. Any of the Council that wants to do the same can come with me.)_

It may be inappropriate to do so, but Castiel is staring with an open mouth. Is this really happening? He can’t be napping in the cave and dreaming, can he? He’s been hoping that Michael would do something like this for a while and now that that moment is finally here. And now all Castiel wants to do is find Dean and tell him that _finally_ the Council is actually going to _do_ something!

Raphael looks like he’s ready to challenge Michael to a fight. He’s barely risen from his pillar when Metatron reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. _(I don’t like this any more than you do, but Michael has a point – as much as it pains me to say it.)_

To Castiel’s surprise, Gabriel actually snorts a sharp laugh. _(Oh, puh- **leese**. Don’t try pulling that fishshit with us, Metatron. You’ve been just as stubborn as Raphael.)_

That earns him a glare from Metatron and a smack on the shoulder from Lucifer. _(Everyone has the right to change their mind. Even Metatron.)_ Lucifer’s glare is short lived before he glances between Castiel and Michael. _(I still don’t trust Dean, or any fang-fin for that matter, but I’ll go with you Michael.)_

 _(I think I’ll keep my tail right here.)_ Gabriel pats his pillar, looking smug as ever for getting away with making a jab at Raphael and Metatron – something he doesn’t usually have the chance to do.

Unsurprisingly, Metatron nods and the kin-connection is filled with his agreement. _(The same can be said for me.)_ He didn’t need to say that for anyone to know. He _never_ leaves the trench unless absolutely necessary, and thus far there hasn’t been anything remotely close to that.

Now that leaves Raphael. Everyone, including Anna, Balthazar, and Castiel, turn their attention to him. Will he get over his fang-fin prejudice to meet with Dean? Or will he continue to be a stubborn fool? Honestly, it could go either way. Castiel seals his gills and holds his breath, waiting to see what decision Raphael makes.

After a long moment of silence, Raphael wrinkles his nose at the lot of them and rolls his eyes. _( **Fine**. I’ll go. **Someone** needs to have the nerve to kill the fang-fin if this turns out to be some kind of ridiculously obvious trap for us.)_

Without realizing, a growl rumbles in Castiel’s throat and his fans spread threateningly. It’s a full warning and his fangs are bared. It’s the kind of warning he’d give if anyone had made such a threat to one of his siblings. It’s _Dean’s_ face that flashes through his thoughts right then. His reaction catches him, and everyone else by surprise, but he’s fairly certain he’s the only one scared by it. Castiel honestly doesn’t know whether or not he would fight his own Council member attacked Dean.

He’s so surprised by his own reaction that Castiel immediately flattens all his fans and looks down at his lap. That was bad. _This_ is bad. Now it’s just a matter of time before someone reprimands him for that. Sweet Mother-sea, Castiel hopes he didn’t do anything to mess up this potential meeting. He’s worked so hard to get this.

Raphael’s thoughts are practically poisonous as they slide through the kin-connection. _(Do you have something to say to me, Castiel?)_

There are many things he’s wanted to say to Raphael since this war started. And none of them are things he would actually _say_ to him. But then the image rises in his mind again of Raphael and Dean locked in a fight of fangs and claws. A flare of protectiveness burns to life in his chest and Castiel rises from the dais without further thought.

_(Dean and the rebels are my **friends**. If you try to hurt them –)_

His threat goes unfinished. Both Raphael and Michael talk over him, though Michael thoughts quickly smother Raphael’s. _(I promise you, Castiel, we won’t.)_ He means every word and he turns a sharp look on Raphael when he tries to speak again. _(We only want to **meet** with them.)_

For several moments, there’s a tense silence while Raphael and Michael stare each other down. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not they’re having a silent argument between them, but everyone waits with baited breath for the result of it. Castiel is certain that he’s not the only one who breathes a sigh of relief when Michael turns to face him.

_(When were you planning to meet with Dean next?)_

That is a very good question, and it’s not one that Castiel really has an answer to. _(It’s hard to say. Our meeting times have been disrupted because of my “punishment”.)_ He shrugs and resists the urge to glance towards Balthazar. _(I have no way of knowing if Dean is going to show up at our next scheduled meeting time or not.)_

 _(I told him you’d be gone for at least one rotation.)_ Balthazar offers in a private link and Castiel has to fight back a frown. That’s going to make things difficult.

Thankfully, Lucifer’s mind is a quick as always. _(What about when you’re on the battlefield? If you’ve been sneaking off to meet with the rebels, then I assume that you would have been speaking to them while you’re both supposed to be fighting too.)_

Castiel had been hoping that no one would point that particular point out. He could have still done that, but now he’s been outed completely. Fantastic. Well, there’s little point in hiding it any further. _(Yes, I’ve been in contact with Dean during battles too.)_

Now it’s Lucifer’s turn to look smug. _(Then it’s simple. Talk to him at the next one.)_

Who would have ever thought that there would be a day when Castiel would be given _permission_ to seek out and speak to Dean on the battlefield. It takes quite a bit of his control to be able to hide any and all elation he feels at it. He nods slowly, keeping himself carefully composed. _(I’ll try, but Dean might not even be out there – especially if they really are pulling his division in favour of others now.)_

 _(Look for him anyways.)_ Michael instructs without hesitation, his thoughts already moving so quickly that it’s almost hard to keep up with him. _(If you can’t find Dean, then find another rebel who can take your message to him. In the meantime, Raphael, you should work with Lucifer and our garrison leaders on revising our battle plans to accommodate any potential changes to the fang-fin strategies.)_

It’s moments like these where Castiel admires his brother the most. Michael is under an incredible amount of stress on a normal basis simply from being the colony’s leader. A war has only made things harder for him, and yet he still holds strong. He’s still as sharp and bright as ever. This war hasn’t broken him and as long as he swims strong, this colony will continue to persevere. At least, seeing Michael like gives Castiel that kind of hope.

His fans spread in surprise when Michael turns to address him. _(And as of this moment, Castiel, your punishment is lifted. I want you to try your best to get in contact with the rebels and arrange a meeting for us with their leaders.)_

Castiel nods, but he hesitates and bites his lip. There’s a question he wants to ask, but it might be pushing the very boundaries of what he’s going to be allowed. Even still, he has to ask. He has to be sure. _(Does this mean that I’ll be allowed to continue to meet with Dean without issue?)_

Raphael’s answer is immediate. _(No.)_

And Michael’s answer is just as quick. _(Yes.)_

The two of them turn to glare at each other. Once again, they hold a silent debate between them. It doesn’t last as long as the others  and Raphael turns away sharply, his expression one of stony displeasure. Clearly Michael won, yet again.

 _(Yes, Castiel. I – **we** – are giving you our permission to meet with Dean to confirm **if** this change is going to happen.)_ Michael swims down from his pillar until he’s face to face with Castiel. _(If the fang-fin return to actively trying to kill us over the next few battles, then your meetings with Dean and the rebels can become a regular thing to keep everyone informed.)_ He places both his hands on Castiel’s shoulders and squeezes tightly, his seriousness a sharp edge in the kin-connection. _(Until this is confirmed, you are forbidden from meeting with Dean beyond what we have instructed you to do. Understand?)_

A frown tilts Castiel’s mouth as he rolls this all over in his mind. Aside from the battlefield meeting he’s supposed to have with Dean to set up a time and a place for the Council to meet with him and the rebels, Castiel isn’t allowed to meet with him. If Dean was telling the truth, and he fully believes that he was, then this will all happen as Dean said. Which means that Castiel will get to meet with him again anyways. Maybe not in the same way that they used to, but at least it’s something.

Besides, no matter what they say he fully plans on continuing to meet with Dean. How else is he supposed to keep up to date on the fang-fin movements? He can’t think of any better way to help the fang-fin or the bright-fin than this.

Despite knowing for a fact that he didn’t share _those_ thoughts in the kin-connection, Castiel still doubts himself when Michael’s glare hardens. His thoughts take on the narrowed feeling of a private link between them as he leans in. _(I mean it, Castiel. The punishment will be even more severe if you don’t listen to us this time. You’re family, but we can’t keep letting you off easy. Please, just **listen** this once.)_

How can he say ‘no’ when he’s being asked so nicely? _(Fine.)_

At most, Castiel would probably lose his ranking. At the least, it would be more time spent tucked away in the healer’s caves. And at this point in his life, Castiel has _really_ started to hate caves. Though he supposes that’s better than being outright banished from the colony. If he continues to break the rules, Raphael and Metatron might actually push for that. It’s not like Michael, Lucifer, or Gabriel can continue to excuse his actions just because he’s their brother.

With a sigh, Castiel’s fans droop and he nods. He opens the channel again so his proper answer is shared with everyone present. _(I understand, Michael.)_ But he doesn’t like it and he makes sure that everyone is aware of those feelings.

For a moment, when no one else speaks, Castiel entertains the idea that the meeting is finally over. Now that he’s been thoroughly reprimanded, he wants to do nothing more than stretch his muscles with a good hunt. Some fresh fish would do wonders for him. Of course, as always, he doesn’t get what he wants – at least not right away.

 _(What about our attempts to meet with the fang-fin Council?)_ Metatron poses the question carefully; thoughtfully. As if he’s swimming into dangerous territory. _(Will we still be trying for that?)_

_(Yes. We’ll keep putting the markers up until they answer us.)_

Oh! That reminds Castiel of something rather important. And now that he has no need to hide anything from the Council about his meetings with Dean, he can just come right out and say it. _(The fang-fin have no idea what the fist-bone markers mean.)_

It’s becoming too common of a thing for all eyes to turn to him. Castiel’s adipose fins ripple uncomfortably and he shakes himself out slightly. _(I mean – The last time that I spoke with Dean, I explained what the markers meant. He said that none of the fang-fin knew what they meant. I’m not sure what he’s going to do with the information now that he has it, but when I see him again I could tell him that he should somehow relay that information to his Council. If he does that, maybe they’ll accept the request soon too?)_

Though, for the life of him, Castiel doesn’t understand why they would still want to meet with the fang-fin Council. They should be focussing on the rebels instead. At least _they’re_ doing something and it’s for the good of ending this war. The fang-fin Council is doing nothing, and meeting with them isn’t going to change anything. In fact, it’ll just put the bright-fin Council at risk. Castiel wouldn’t be surprised if Alistair and the others used a meeting to ambush them.

Michael sighs and rubs a hand over his face. He’s not as pleased with this news as Castiel thought he would be. _(Thank you for the information. We’ll take it into consideration when we’re discussing what to do next. You won’t be needed for that.)_ He makes a sweeping gesture that encompasses Anna, Balthazar, and Castiel. _(You are all dismissed now.)_

While Lucifer might wave goodbye, Gabriel simply grins and makes shooing motions with his hands. He’s always teased them the most about how _he_ was able to get on the Council and the rest of them weren’t. Really, it’s only because none of the other bright-fin actually came forward to fill the empty seat. If someone older had put their name in, Gabriel wouldn’t have made it on the Council. The same can be said for Lucifer too – though he doesn’t preen about it nearly as much as Gabriel does.

Castiel shares a quick look with Anna and Balthazar before they join at the chasm-like entrance to the Council’s auditorium. They’ve barely swam out into the open trench before Raphael’s voice comes sharp through the kin-connection. _(Balthazar. Anna. You are to return to your divisions **immediately**.)_

Their ire flares in a private link Castiel shares with them. But they both fill the main connection with their understanding before they sever themselves from the Council completely. Castiel follows their lead, please that his punishment has been cut short and the Council is finally doing something halfway sane. Now he is only left with the uneasy, nearly nervous feeling of anticipation.

When will the next battle be? The fang-fin aren’t as predictable as he likes to tease Dean into thinking. Sometimes they hit multiple days in a row and sometimes they go more than a rotation before they instigate another battle. Hopefully he won’t have too long to wait. He’d like to see Dean again, and he would rather like it to be _soon_.

*

How rare it is for two of Castiel’s wishes to be answered in the same day. The Council has agreed to finally meet with the rebels, _and_ word reaches the trench of another battle beginning to the north of their territories. As soon as a swimmer brings the news, Castiel leaves. The message has barely been fully delivered and he’s already pushing himself to his limits to swim as quickly as he can to the battlefront. He has no way of knowing if Dean’s division will be there, but he doesn’t want to risk missing out just because he’s dragging his fins.

Castiel completes the swim alone. Anna and Balthazar returned to their divisions shortly after they were dismissed from the Council meeting. In fact, if his memory serves him, Anna’s garrison should be one of the two that will be involved in this fray. His own garrison is still guarding the trench and they won’t be joining him this time. Which is too bad, really. They’re wonderful fighters and Castiel enjoys fighting at their side – though he hates the circumstances.

When he reaches the edge of the fighting, Castiel finds Anna’s mind with ease. There’s no time for talk, but it’s good to let her know that he’s here. And, if he’s lucky, Dean will be too. Castiel can’t wait to get to speak to him again. It was frustrating and extremely disappointing to have to miss their meeting. But it’s been even more annoying to have that nagging feeling in the back of his mind reminding him that he misses _Dean_ more than anything else.

 _(Hashmal will cover you.)_ Anna’s thoughts are fleeting as she darts in and out of her own fights, multi-tasking those with directing her garrison. _(If anyone tries to engage you, she’ll take over so you can focus on finding Dean.)_

He almost laughs at that, letting his amusement tickle her mind. _(I can fight and look for Dean at the same time, you know. That’s what I’ve been doing the whole time I’ve been keeping our friendship a secret. I’ve practically mastered it.)_

Anna’s irritation stings like a whip to his mind, but Castiel ignores it in favour of ducking under a pair of fighters  going at each other with tooth and claw. It’s then that he realizes he doesn’t recognize half the fang-fin here. Everywhere he looks, maybe one out of three of the fang-fin are rebels. This gives credibility to Dean’s news and Castiel tries not to be elated by it. Though he does allow himself to be happy over the fact that the ones he does recognize are ones he knows to be in Dean’s division.

Hashmal’s cry of warning is knocked from Castiel’s thoughts the moment he is struck from behind. The tackle sends Castiel down a few tail lengths before he can actually think about retaliating. But the laughter against his side-fan nearly causes him to stop. He knows that laugh, but he also knows that he’s supposed to be pretending to fight. He twists around in his opponent’s arms to at least attempt to fend them off, even as he opens his mind to a familiar touch.

 _(Hello, Dean. I knew it was you.)_ Castiel greets him at the same moment that he calms Hashmal’s thoughts. _(He’s a rebel and a friend. Tell Anna your duty is done and return to battle.)_

She hesitates, but does as she’s told without further issue. Castiel is glad he caught her before she actually tried to intervene. Dean’s delight radiates through the kin-connection and quickly drowns out any thought of Hashmal from Castiel’s mind. Apparently Dean is too happy for words at the moment, as he and Castiel twist and turn over and around each other, wrestling until they find themselves hidden behind a large outcropping of coral.

As soon as they’re out of sight of the fighting, Dean breaks away from their grappling with a wide grin. _(What gave it away that it was me?)_

 _(Few fang-fin laugh in **delight** when they’re fighting me.)_ Castiel returns his smile in the short time that he has before Dean actually _embraces_ him.

The embrace quickly turns into another wrestling match as Dean tries to force Castiel to the sea floor in an attempt to pin him. _(I thought you were being punished for being a bad little bright-fin.)_

Castiel is finding it harder and harder not to laugh. _(I was, until Balthazar brought your message back and I –)_ He is fully prepared to explain everything, but Dean’s attempts to pin him are very distraction. _(What are you doing?)_

 _(What we always do.)_ Dean shrugs and grins when Castiel folds his tail between them to try and push him away. _(We gotta make it look like we’re fighting, don’t we? Just in case anyone sees us.)_

Oh, that’s right. They’re still in the midst of a battle right now. It’s embarrassing to acknowledge how that fact slipped his mind the moment he and Dean were relatively alone. He can still hear the shouting and snarling on the other side of the coral, but it feels like an ocean away. With that thought in mind, Castiel throws himself into wrestling properly. In a matter of moments, he has them flipped and Dean is the one having his back-fin pressed into the rocky sand bottom of the sea.

Dean’s smile falters momentarily, and then it turns teasing. _(I keep forgetting how good you are at this.)_ His arms go tense as he tries getting the upper hand. Castiel can practically see his muscles shaking from the strain of fighting.

Clearly Dean has yet to realize that out of all the times they’ve wrestled while fake fighting during a battle, Castiel usually has him pinned nine times out of ten. And there’s a very good reason for that. _(You seemed to have forgotten that I have four older siblings, and they’re all fairly good fighters themselves.)_ In his childhood, he had some fairly intense wrestling matches with them – not to forget that he’s been training nearly every day of his life.

 _(Yeah, yeah.)_ Dean rolls his eyes with a laugh. _(Well, I’m not half-bad too, y’know!)_ With one quick twist of his body, Dean changes their positions again and grins triumphantly.

All it takes is some wiggling and Castiel is out of Dean’s grasp and out of reach within moments. He allows his sarcasm to colour the kin-connection as he turns to face Dean again. _(Do you want to keep attempting to puff up your ego, or will you let me actually **talk** to you about important things?)_

That brings Dean to a stop for nothing more than a breath. _(Nah, I like this better.)_ And then he’s right back to trying to pin Castiel to the sandy bottom.

Now it’s Castiel’s turn to roll his eyes. _(Of course you would.)_ With a sigh, he curls his tail around Dean’s waist in an attempt to immobilize him. Maybe if he can get Dean to hold still, he can actually have a halfway serious conversation with him.

Surprisingly, his plan works better than anticipated. Dean locks up completely and his eyes go overly wide in the light of Castiel’s glow. Everything from Dean in the kin-connection stutters to a stop too. It’s just the opening that Castiel needs. He turns them over again and presses Dean’s shoulders into the sand. Hopefully they’ll be able to actually talk now that Dean seems like some sense has been knocked into him – figuratively speaking. No knocking was actually done, which is the odd part about his sudden silence and immobility.

 _(Please actually pay attention to this. I only have the length of this battle to explain quite a bit to you.)_ He squeezes Dean’s shoulders as he opens the kin-connection wide and pours the majority of his memories of the earlier meeting into it for Dean to see.

Any semblance of wrestling ends there. Dean let’s Castiel pull away and he makes no move to follow him, though he does sit up in the sand and frown. _(I wasn’t lying. It’s the truth. It’s really happening.)_

 _(I know.)_ Castiel smiles softly in his attempt to comfort. _(I trust you not to lie to me, Dean. Not about this.)_ And not about anything, surprising.

That eases the frown and Dean pushes off from the sea floor. He immediately starts circling Castiel, apparently still trying to maintain the illusion that they’re fighting. _(My division is out here now with a whole new one. Next time, we won’t be here at all, and I have no idea how long it’s going to be before any rebels are back. Not for the next three, as far as I know. Maybe more.)_

His heart sinks at that. His immediate reaction is to turn away, but Castiel forces himself to circle with Dean again. _(I’ll let the Council know.)_

 _(And then what?)_ Dean cocks his head to the side and raises one of his eyebrows questioningly. _(Are you gonna meet me again in the same spot in a few nights?)_

If only. Castiel would love to do that again, but Michael’s warning is still in the forefront of his mind. _(I can’t.)_ He shakes his head and bites back a frustrated growl. _(I’m not allowed to meet with you after this until the Council sees proof that the other divisions are going to be fighting soon. I’m not sure if **one** new division today is enough. They might make the decision after the next battle.) _That’s likely what’s going to happen. Especially if they’re as slow about this as they have been for the entirety of the war.

Dean snarls and slashes the space between them. _( **Fuck**.)_

 _(I know.)_ The news is upsetting, but Castiel can’t stop a small smile from tilting the corner of his mouth. It’s nice to know that Dean doesn’t like this either. _(I don’t like Michael’s orders any more than you do. But the punishment will be worse if I break them to meet with you again.)_

The anger melts from Dean’s expression to take on one of surprise. In a moment in fades into a teasing grin. _(Aw, Cas. Do you **miss** me?)_

If he did, Castiel would never admit it. Not even to himself. Instead, he rolls his eyes. _(I miss having a proper moment to relax and spend time with my friend.)_

Dean sticks out his tongue in a childish gesture. _(Yeah, well, I totally don’t miss your dumb glow lighting up the place.)_

Which is a barefaced lie if ever Castiel heard one. He can literally _feel_ Dean trying to hide the truth in the statement and failing spectacularly. But it inspires a tingling heat to spread through his chest. The same heat rises in his cheeks and he turns away sharply. Castiel beats his tail and leaves quickly, hoping that Dean will give chase. He isn’t disappointed and Dean shouts as he takes after him.

They chase each other along the edges of the battlefield for a short while before Dean pulls insistently at his thoughts. _(Okay, okay. Getting serious here – what are we going to do about meeting now?)_

Castiel thinks about it for another few back and forth chasing before he comes to a decision. _(If your division is **not** a part of the next battle, then meet with me at our usual spot the night after it. The next battle should be all the proof that the Council needs. If Michael doesn’t like this plan, then I won’t be at the meeting place.)_ Though he can’t think of a single reason why that would happen.

Dean is so close behind him that Castiel can actually hear his frustrated growl. _(If they keep dragging their fins, I’m just going to swim right into your trench and talk to them myself.)_

The very thought brings Castiel to a sharp stop. Fear tightens around his heart and he turns quickly, only to have Dean swim right into him. Castiel thinks nothing of it as he bares his fangs and grabs Dean by the shoulders. _(Don’t you **dare**. Regardless of what I’ve said to my colony, that would still get you **killed**.)_ Worry keeps bubbling in his belly, nausea fighting with it at the very idea.

Surprise fills Dean’s face again. It’s just for a moment before he remembers that they’re supposed to be fighting. He throws out a false snarl and knocks Castiel’s hands away. Dean rolls to get his arms around Castiel’s waist, his tail thrashing hard enough to send them both down to the sea floor again – and back behind coral cover.

 _(You really think they’d kill one little ol’ fang-fin? What if I claimed I was just a messenger and carried one of your fish-bone pikes?)_ Curiosity probes the edges of Castiel’s mind, picking at the worry that he’s allowing into the kin-connection.

He sighs softly and shakes his head. If only it would be that easy. _(Despite my insistence that you’re not nearly as bad as your reputation, there are fin-kin in my colony who have lost friends and family to your claws.)_ Castiel finds it hard to meet Dean’s eyes while he explains and he focuses instead on the many spots scattered across Dean’s shoulders. _(I don’t want you to take the risk that you might swim into someone who wants revenge.)_

Unsurprisingly, his confession is met with silence. Dean’s arms fall away and he floats back a bit, his face expressionless. Castiel doesn’t like not being able to read it, and he absolutely hates the cold silence in the kin-connection. It didn’t _feel_ like what he said was insulting, but it’s possible that Dean took it that way. In which case, Castiel should apologize. But he waits a moment, just to see if he absolutely has to.

Dean’s eyes drop, but nothing else changes. That makes Castiel’s decision for him and he darts forward to hug Dean. To anyone else, it might look like he just tackled him. To them, it’s an awkward hug as Castiel presses his face to Dean’s shoulder. _(I don’t mean to hurt your feelings –)_

 _(You didn’t.)_ A hand rests on his shoulder for an all too awkward moment. _(It’s true. It stings, but it’s true. I did a lot of shit – all of us did – and that’s not gonna go away any time soon.)_

Castiel only hugs him harder. _(I don’t want you to get hurt by my colony. My Council is coming around and I’m certain that they’ll be ready to meet with you shortly.)_

_(I hope so.)_

The feeling is genuine and Castiel basks in it for a few moments. In that same moment, their hug continues. Even Castiel can tell that it’s starting to feel awkward, but it’s also strangely comfortable. But the longer they hug, the higher the risk of them being discovered like this. It’s almost regretfully that Castiel has to pull away. He does it sharply and with a completely fake hiss; an unnecessary warning in case anyone might have seen them.

Heat is still pooled in his cheeks, a blush that just won’t go away. Castiel hopes that Dean doesn’t notice it. _(Now that we’ve made our plans, I think it’s about time that we right to battling properly with others. It’s suspicious for you and I to fight each other all the time and parting without injury.)_ He doesn’t exactly want to fight anyone else, but it’s better than the alternative risks. Besides, the battle probably won’t last too long anyways.

An unexpected pout surfaces on Dean’s lips. It’s only there a moment before he sighs and turns away. _(I hate it when you make a good point.)_ His thoughts don’t feel as annoyed as Dean seems like he’s trying to be. _(So, night after the next battle. Meet you at the same spot. If you’re not there, we’ll figure something out later?)_

 _(Yes, that is an accurate summation.)_ Castiel teases and watches Dean swim away. He doesn’t wait long before he turns and leaves himself.

Despite leaving each other on the battlefield, the kin-connection remains in place. Castiel would never sever it while they’re both here. He hates the thought that something might happen to Dean while they’re here. Ifit does, he wants to know right away so he can go and help if need be. Though he doesn’t know what kind of help he’ll be able to offer, especially when they’re supposed to be on opposing sides of this war.  

Luckily, Dean has never needed to use their link for a call for help. Instead, he uses it to make quick jokes about the fin-kin around him. Whether it’s the ones that he’s fighting personally or it’s fights that he observes. They’re amusing nonetheless, even when Dean teases Castiel about his own fighting style. His lighthearted quips lighten the mood on the battlefield considerably. Castiel enjoys listening to them almost as much as he enjoyed their awkward hug.

And _that_ is something that takes up quite a deal of his private thoughts. Dean didn’t seem to hate the hug. In fact, he kind of reciprocated it. Does that mean it’s going to start being something they do as friends? Will they start hugging each other whenever they see one another? Whenever they part? Castiel has never had a friend that he does that with. He hardly even does that with his siblings. Is this more of a normal thing among fang-fin?

Depending on whether or not it happens again, Castiel will have to ask these questions to Dean and hope he doesn’t think him weird for it. Regardless, he knows that at least _he_ has no objections to it becoming a regular thing between them – surprisingly.  
  


* * *

  
When’s the last time that Dean left a battle actually feeling  _good_ ? It was probably before he realized just how fucked up his colony is. But today it’s for too many reasons to count. For starters, Cas actually  _hugged_ him. Dean always pegged him for a no-touchie kind of guy, considering how Cas didn’t really like having to be carried away from the cave. This totally threw Dean for a loop, and considering how often he swims in those, it’s leaving him more disoriented than it should.

Of course, the most important thing about all of this is that Cas’s Council actually wants to meet with the rebels! The whole swim back to the colony’s camping ground is spent picking through his division trying to find Sam and Jess to share the good news. He can’t wait to tell them all about his all too brief visit with Cas. It’s more than a little annoying how freaking _long_ it takes him to get a hold of them. As the division captain, too many fang-fin want to speak to him after a battle and he’s got a lot of people to check up. There’s a headcount to do too.

Dean ends up not getting the chance to speak with Sam and Jess until they’re all back at their sleep spots. Sam twists out of the way just as Dean tries to crash into him. With the news he’s got, he’s willing to overlook the fact that he was just denied the fun of tackling his little brother. He doesn’t even know if they know that Cas was at the battle. As far as Dean is aware of, the last time they heard anything about Cas was when Dean told them what Balthazar said.

Of course it’s just like Sam to cut Dean’s thoughts off in the kin-connection before he even gets the chance to say anything. _(So, what’s the plans for the rest of tonight, Dean?)_ He tilts his head in a purely smug way. _(Are you going to mope all night again or do you want to come hunting with us?)_

Hold the fuck up. _( **Mope**?) _ Since when, in all of Mother-sea, has he ever _moped_? And especially recently enough for Sam to take that lilting tone in their link.

He looks to Jess for clarification and she’s got the same damn teasing smirk on her face. _(Don’t look so surprised, Dean.)_ Her thoughts drag across his and makes Dean’s frown grow darker. _(You were being all pouty and didn’t want to leave your sleep spot yesterday.)_

That doesn’t mean that he was _moping_. He just wasn’t in the mood to go swimming or basically do anything yesterday when he didn’t have to. And he didn’t spend the _whole_ day on his shelf. Dean totally went and did some hunting. And he talked a bit with Bobby. Do fin-kin who _mope_ do that? No, they totally most definitely do not.

Sam beats him to the punch a second time, taking advantage of Dean’s utter disbelief that they would accuse him of something so ridiculous. But this time he doesn’t even have the courtesy of addressing Dean directly. _(And we all know why, don’t we? He just misses Cas so-o-o-o-o-o **much**.)_

If he wasn’t really super annoyed right now, Dean would probably be blushing by now. _(I wasn’t moping.)_ And even if he was, it wasn’t because he missed Cas. Definitely not.

 _(You were totally moping.)_ Jess’s smirk grows into a straight grin. _(I’d bet my life on it.)_

That’s not a bet Dean is willing to take for too many reason. _(Shut up, Jess.)_

 _(You were **totally** sulking!)_ Sam has the gall to laugh, and he even reaches over to punch Dean in the shoulder. It’s all light hearted and just some basic teasing, but Dean can’t stop the tense bundle of annoyance building up under his ribs.

 _(I was not!)_ He doesn’t like being ganged up on like this. It’s not fair and especially for some super dumb reasons that are totally not true at all.

Jess starts swimming circles around them, laughing like he hasn’t heard her laugh in a while. _(And it’s because you missed Ca-a-a-a-a-a-a-s!)_

Dean bares his fangs and balls his hands into fists so tight that his claws nearly bite into his palms. He’s just shy of crossing his arms here. _(I didn’t **miss** him.)_ It was just disappointing not to get to hang out with him for a while, or get to talk about something that isn’t about this fucking war.

But of course Dean is lying. He absolutely missed getting the chance to see Cas the other day. The lie is so fucking obvious that there’s no way to try and twist it in the kin-connection to sound a little more truthful. But that’s beside the point. Dean doesn’t like being teased, and this particular subject is getting under his scales way more than anything else.

Fuck it. Dean crosses his arms and turns away from them. _(Fine, whatever. Believe what you want. But now I’m not going to tell you about how Cas was at the battle and he gave me some really big really important news that you should totally hear about.)_

The kin-connection dries up of every ounce of amusement that Sam and Jess were feeding it. Sam grabs his arm before Dean can start swimming away. _(Whoa, wait! What happened?)_

Dean pulls his arm free and starts swimming away. He can hunt on his own. It doesn’t surprise him at all that Sam and Jess follow after him right away, one drawing up on both of his sides. They both have a truly killer set of begging eyes and Dean angles his echoes away from them so he doesn’t have to see it. Thank Mother-sea that Cas isn’t here right now. His glow would just light them up and Dean would cave to them in a heartbeat.

 _(Aw, c’mon, Dean. It was just a bit of teasing!)_ Sam’s thoughts tug at him in a hard beg. _(You can’t just keep all the information for yourself!)_

He shrugs off that feeling in the kin-connection as easily as he does their hands. _(Nope. You had your chance and you blew it. See ya.)_ He beats his tail harder to pull ahead of them.

They both call after him, both verbally and through the kin-connection. Dean ignores the ever loving shit out of them. Of course he’s going to tell them about what Cas said. Eventually. Only after they’ve been appropriately punished for their fishshit levels of teasing. He missed Cas, sure. But he definitely didn’t fucking _sulk_. Or, at least, not for nearly as long as they’re insinuating that he did. Bastards.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s kinda mean of him to say, but Dean still has to add one thing. _(If I survive that long.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Dean refuses to even so much as _look_ at Sam and Jess. He makes sure he’s sitting in such a way that he’s not even facing them enough that they turn up in his echoes. If they want to play bullshit like earlier, then they can damn well suffer his cold shoulder until he decides to forgive them. At this rate, it might be never. Dean can hold a grudge like no other fin-kin before him. And there’s just something about _this_ teasing that has really gotten under his scales.

It’s so bad that he didn’t even directly tell them about what happened with Cas. He went and found Bobby and Ellen first and he told _them_ about it. They’re the ones who shared it when some of the other rebels showed up. Everyone is all kinds of excited, except for Dean. Of course he’s the only one sitting off to the side not even participating in the conversations while everyone keeps rapid firing thoughts at each other about the bright-fin. His friends know when he’s being a big ol’ grumpy-fins and they know when to avoid him.

Bobby’s sleeping space isn’t underneath a ledge like Dean and Sam’s is. His place is basically a cave under a big pile of rocks. It gives Dean the willies to go inside. He can’t shake the feeling like it’s going to tumble down on their heads at any moment – though he knows for a fact that it won’t. Bobby and Ellen wouldn’t pick a dangerous place to sleep. Not when they’ve got Jo sleeping there most of the time too. She’s old enough to have her own sleep spot, but it’s stupidly hard to get used to sleeping alone. Dean hasn’t managed it yet. When Sam stays with Jess for the night, Dean doesn’t sleep all that well – if at all.

With at least a dozen fang-fin gathered around the opening of Bobby’s sleep area, Dean would expect more people to give them weird looks for it when they pass by. But apparently a group of good friends hanging out in the same spot every other day doesn’t draw that much attention. So it’s probably a good thing that Charlie made sure everyone knew not to suddenly change who they spend time with just because they know who and who isn’t a rebel in the colony. Granted, it’s only the main group present right now who knows who _everyone_ is. All the others just know that they’re not on their own here.

But the thing about being part of the head-honchos of the rebels is that it’s really fucking _boring_. Dean isn’t allowed to help recruit anyone because of reasons he can’t even remember, and he doesn’t really care for all the discussions about who they’ve converted and how many they have. He doesn’t care about the talks over who they think can be trusted with more information and who they know they absolutely can’t trust. It’s stuff he _should_ care about, probably, but it’s nothing that he has anything to do with, really. Besides, that list changes almost every day, so it’s a conversation that he found boring long before it even started.

All he cares about is taking down the Council and giving them what they’re due for the fishshit they’ve put the colony through. He may love a good fight, but a _war_ just for the hell of it? That’s disgusting. It makes Dean feel dirty – makes him hate himself for being all gung-ho about it in the first place. Even though he wants Cas to forgive him for all the shit he pulled when the thought he was right, Dean’s not sure even _he_ can forgive _himself_. Tricked or not, the blood of those bright-fin is on _his_ hands.

Given how much he hates thinking about that, he should probably try harder to think less about that and instead pay more attention to the conversation going on at the edge of his mind. But he’s not. And he really should be, considering how it’s all about what they plan to discuss with the bright-fin Council should they get to meet them. Honestly, though, Dean doubts he’ll be going to that meeting. It would be nice, because then he’d get to see Cas and meet a couple of his brothers. But Dean can already see a million ways he could mess that up and he doesn’t really want to take that chance.

So, while they all talk, Dean is pretty happy to just keep to himself here in the sand. He’s on his back and wiggled until his fin was comfortable. The ocean is dark above him, his echoes not bouncing back to him unless another fang-fin swims by. With a colony full of predators here, none of the fish have dared to swim in this area since. Granted, fish are the farthest thing from Dean’s mind right now. About as far as the conversation going on around him. Right now, Dean’s thoughts are a long swim away in a much warmer area than here.

Whether he wants it to or not, Dean’s thoughts are with Cas. Or, more specifically, they’re centered on how his stomach had gotten and tight and fluttery when he saw Cas earlier. He wasn’t expecting to see Cas for who-knows-how-long and then suddenly _there he was_. Right where Dean least expected to see him. His heart did this funny little bounce in his chest and Dean tackled him without thinking about it. Hopefully none of the other fang-fin thought anything of it, because god _damn_ Dean was just so happy to see him again.

And then there was more than that. Cas fucking _hugged_ him! He’s been so anti-touch that Dean never thought the day would come where Cas would hug him willingly. Maybe he’ll admit it to himself and no one else, but that hug was really nice. Like, _really_ fucking nice. It made him feel tingly all over, but not in the numbing-ouch way like when he got too close to those damn shock-eels once upon a time. This was good – almost _too_ good. And in a scary kind of way too.

Dean’s thoughts are circling around Cas and how considerate he is of him. Like, Cas has no reason whatsoever to be so nice to him, considering all the shit that Dean’s put him through, but he still is. Hell, he has every right to be entirely pissed off with the fang-fin as a whole for the rest of his life, but he’s not. Cas is fighting for the fang-fin’s freedom from their Council just as much as he’s fighting to end this war to protect his colony. And even if that isn’t the case exactly, it’s how Dean feels from where he’s at.

Mother-sea, help him, but Dean’s pretty damn sure that Cas is swimming right up the ranks to being his _best friend_. And he’s doing that pretty darn quick. If he’s not careful, Cas might end up replacing Charlie as Dean’s best buddy ever. Though, technically, that’s Sam’s spot. But that’s only because he’s his brother. If Sam wasn’t there, then it would be Charlie. And now Cas is coming up quick as second and if Dean spends any more time thinking about him, it’ll be first. He better not mention that to Charlie. She wouldn’t like that one bit.

But, seriously, when’s the last time where Dean wanted to hang out with someone as badly as he does Cas? He honestly can’t remember. Sure, in the cave he wanted his actual _friends_ there to make it less annoying to be stuck there, but it was nothing like _this_. He didn’t want to hang out with them just because they weren’t there. This is entirely different. This is an itch under his scales he can’t scratch unless Cas is around.

Dean has had more friends than he ever thought he would, given all the shit that life has thrown at him over the years. He’s got some of the best friends he could ever ask for and he’s known most of them for his whole life. Each and every one of them is treasured as much as a person _can_ be treasured. They’re practically family to him and Dean wouldn’t have it any other way. But Cas – Cas isn’t in the same place as them. Not just physically, but in Dean’s head too. He’s off in his own special little corner for some mother-sea forsaken reason that Dean doesn’t even understand.

Thankfully, he doesn’t spend too long thinking about that. It doesn’t matter that he’s supposed to be part of the discussion, Dean still manages to think himself straight to sleep. It’s late in the evening anyways, so it’s no big surprise that he nods off in the thick of things. He’s able to sleep basically anywhere if he’s comfortable enough for it. And there’s nothing more comfortable than being surrounded by his friends and family and feeling safe.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he really appreciates being woken up by a sharp arm-fin digging into his ribs and insistent thoughts pressing at the edges of his mind. _(Wake **up** , Dean!)_

He groans and slaps Sam’s arm away. _(It’s late, Sammy. Let a guy sleep, would’ja?)_ If he keeps pressing the issue, Dean might have to use his claws because this is just _rude_.

Sam responds by grabbing his arm and digging his claws into his arm. It’s not hard enough to break the skin, but it definitely hurts. _( **Meg** is here, you idiot.)_

That’s hardly a good enough reason for waking him up. But considering that she’s usually the lap-fish of the Council, it’ll do for now. Dean sighs loudly and forces himself to sit up. He doesn’t bother covering his yawn as he stretches and blinks himself awake. Being dragged back to consciousness like this is one of his least favourite ways to wake up. Especially when it’s to Meg coming back to him in his echoes. She’s floating there out of reach, arms crossed and looking stupidly smug.

Dean barely manages to keep the edge of hate out of his thoughts when he speaks to her. _(What the fuck do you want at this time of the night?)_ Because it is absolutely the middle of the night now and everyone else is curled up sleeping in front of Bobby’s weird little cave or they’ve pissed off to go to their own sleeping place.

She rolls her eyes at his attitude, but it doesn’t cover her overall delight at being a pain in his tail-fin. _(The Council is calling for all the division leaders.)_ Meg flashes all her teeth in a wide smile. _(Apparently there’s **things** they want to talk to you guys about.)_

Well isn’t that just _awesome_? Dean groans and knuckles his eyes. He is so not awake enough for this. Couldn’t they have just waited until morning before they decided to make his life even worse? _(That’s fucking **great**.)_

Sam’s worry trembles through a private link between them, ghosting at the edges of Dean’s mind. _(Are you going to be okay/)_

 _(It’s not like I’m in trouble or anything.)_ Dean shrugs and pushes himself off the sea floor, using his hands to pull him to a decent height before using his tail. _(They wouldn’t be calling the other leaders if I was getting my shit handed to me. I should be fine.)_

_(And what if you’re not?)_

He stretches again and glances back at Sam, a little surprised to find that he’s not the only one awake. Bobby, Ellen and Jo are all watching him from the entrance to their cave, and Jess is floating behind Sam. They all look way too alert for it being this late in the night.

Dean shrugs again and gives them all his most winning of smiles. _(If things don’t go so great, then I’ll take out as many of them as I can before they short you a brother.)_

Sam’s eyes narrow in Dean’s echoes. _(If they even **think**  –)_

 _(Relax, Sammy. Nothing’s gonna happen.)_ He turns away and immediately frowns. Meg is still floating nearby, watching him. It’s creepy. _(Why are **you** still here?)_

 _(I have to make sure that you actually go.)_ Her upper lip curls back, like she’s disgusted that she has to babysit him. _(Are you coming or not?)_

If everything goes to hell tonight, Dean makes a mental note to take her out first. She’s just so _annoying_. It’s like she lives and breathes to make him miserable in some way or another. And it doesn’t help that Meg is top of their list of colony members they know they won’t be able to convert. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise Dean at all if he found out that she was in on the Council’s plan from the get go. That’s totally something she would do.

But he’s not going to let her have the satisfaction of knowing how much she irks him. Dean yawns again and gestures at her to get moving. _(Yeah, whatever.)_ He starts after her with a wave over his shoulder to the others. Their worry follows him.

Since he and the core group of the rebels took to nesting on the exact opposite of the colony from the Council, it’s a bit of a swim to get there. And as much as he dislikes Meg, Dean will never waste an opportunity to try and wheedle information out of someone. _(So, what’s this gonna be about?)_

Meg’s thoughts take a bored turn as she swims just ahead of him. _(Your guess is as good as mine.)_ After a pause, she glances back with a grin. _(I’d wager it’s something about the bright-fin, though.)_

Dean lets his thoughts weight heavy with sarcasm. _(No shit, really?)_ He rolls his eyes at the amusement she gets out of that. _(Next you’re gonna try and tell me that two-tails live above the waves.)_

Her smile falls and she sneers at him as she turns away. The rest of the swim is finished in silence and she leaves him as soon as they reach the Council. Dean doesn’t miss her after. She’s probably off on her way to go find someone else’s tail to lick or something. He doesn’t care, as long as she’s not here and bugging him. Actually, scratch that. Dean would absolutely prefer dealing with Meg’s levels of annoying over those of the Council and the majority of the other division leaders.

On the bright side, at least he’s not going to be facing all of them alone. Sam is sitting on the far edge of Dean’s mind, their connection starting to stretch from distance. He’s a ways off, but he’s still there and that’s more of a comfort than it should be. It also means that he followed – and judging by who he can feel, Dean can tell that Sam isn’t alone. Honestly, Dean thinks that they do that every time he gets summoned to the Council. The rebels are _super_ suspicious of a summoning, worried that they might suspect him or the rest of them or something equally horrible.

Dean _sincerely_ doubts it, but it’s still kinda really comfortable to have them there. Even still, Dean can’t help reaching out and poking Sam hard through their link. _(You big ol’ worry wart. It’s just a meeting, Sammy. There’s nothing to freak out about.)_

 _(You’re not going in there alone, Dean.)_ He’s answered with a stubborn push back. _(It’s not right that they’re calling a meeting in the middle of the night. Something’s up and we’re here for you if things –)_

 _(They’re the Council, Sam.)_ It’s best he cut Sam’s thoughts off there before he goes into any grim details of what might happen. _(They do what they want when they want and fuck the rest of us while they’re doing it, remember? They don’t **need** a reason for doing this.)_

Sam huffs and he flicks at his thoughts. _(I don’t care. We’ve still got Jo notifying some of the others to wake up and be ready.)_ Dean can practically see him crossing his arms. _(If shit goes down tonight, you let us know and we’ll be there in a heartbeat to help you.)_

It’s kinda mean of him to say, but Dean still has to add one thing. _(If I survive that long.)_

Naturally, Sam isn’t impressed by that. _(Yeah, well, do you best. Alright?)_

Looks like they’re only leaving him the option to give in, otherwise Sam’s just going to keep being that little voice at the back of his mind and it’s going to distract him. Dean doesn’t use his words, but he lets Sam know that he’ll agree to the dumb plan. Though he doesn’t exactly appreciate that now they’ve planted worry in his head and there’s nothing he can do about it. Now it’s just one more thing that he’s going to have to hide from the Council while he’s here.

There are very few upsides to this moment. Surprisingly, it’s that the other division leaders are here. This would be a _lot_ harder to do if he was alone – and he means that physically, not just mentally. Having Sam in his head isn’t quite the same as having him by his side, ready to open a shell full of tail-whooping.  Nobody has his back more than Sam does and Dean owes him for his life more than he can count, probably. It’s entirely possible that he’s paid him back for it without realizing it.

Another bright side to this situation is that none of the Council are swimming around right now. They’re all sitting on their designated stones or sandy patches looking bored or sleepy. Lilith looks so relaxed that she might very well be asleep. It’s hard to tell without seeing her eyes. Crowley is so curved in on himself that the end of his tail is almost touching his head. Alistair and Abaddon are really the only ones who look moderately awake right now.

Part of Dean wants to ask why they called the division leaders this late in the night, but he knows better than to be the first to talk here. He bites his tongue and holds back his thoughts, waiting for someone else to break. If worse comes to worst, he’s just going to fall asleep here and they can yell at him later – or kill him in his sleep. No, that’s dumb. He could never relax enough around these psychos long enough for him to actually fall asleep.

Now it’s anybody’s game. Who’s going to break first? Is it going to be one of the Council members, or is it going to be one of the other captains? There’s Victor, a tentative new friend of Dean’s. Sorta. They get along well enough when they’re talking, but they’ve never really been around each other before. Victor is a new convert to the rebellion, so to speak. He’s actually the captain of the division that Dean’s fights alongside the most, though he’s pretty damn new. The job fell to him recently when the previous captain didn’t make it back from a hunt. It’s kind of a pity to die to something like a sting from a poisonous fish rather than on the battlefield.

Actually, it could be any one of them to break. Samhain is just a creepy son of a bitch and he’s been in charge of his division for what feels like forever. Him and Cain both. Cain isn’t nearly as creepy, but he’s old and quiet and he’s got twice as many seasons of experience behind him than Dean does. Not to mention that he’s one of the most scarred members of the colony and he _still_ beats tail better than some of the younger and highly praised fighters.

Surprisingly, the smallest of the captains is the one who breaks first. _(Why are we here?)_

Eve doesn’t even flinch when Lilith lifts her head to throw a dark look in her direction. In fact, she glares right back and her tail whips back and forth in annoyance. Out of all of them here, Eve might be one of the few who could get away with this. Despite being one of the smallest fang-fin in the colony, she’s as old as Ellen but doesn’t look a day older than Jo. It’s freaky.

And that’s not even half of what makes her so creepy. Eve was also one hell of a contender for one of the positions on the Council – until she said that she wasn’t interested in leading the whole colony. So not only is she tiny, but she’s also a formidable fighter. To the point that Dean would be _really_ hesitant to fight her. He would if he had to, but he’d kind of prefer not to. Same with any of the Council members – or any of the other captains, really. Victor is the only one he feels like he has the confidence and the skill enough to beat.

There’s a tension in the water until Crowley breaks it with a muffled yawn. _(Can we get this over with? Some of us **like** our beauty sleep.)_

Abaddon snorts a laugh. _(Only because you’re the only one who **needs** it.)_

Dean has to bite his tongue harder and dig his claws into his arms to keep himself from laughing out loud. Victor’s got the same constipated look on his face, but the others might as well be cut from stone. It helps temper Dean’s amusement and get a hold of himself again. Of course that’s helped by how things actually start happening. In this case, it’s Alistair reaching over the edge of his rocks to pick something up from the sand.

He holds it out for everyone to ping it repeatedly with their echoes. _(The bright-fin have been leaving one of these after every battle. After the last one they left **four** of them.)_

It’s a spear of stone with braids of kelp all twisted around and _through_ it. Fish bones clink against the stone, woven into the braids. Alistair drives the point of it into the sand, leaving it standing for them to keep looking at it. Dean doesn’t need to, really. He already knows what it is, and he’s pretty sure he knows exactly why they’re all here and what Alistair is going to say next.

_(Does anyone have any idea what it might mean?)_

Fuck. Sometimes he hates being right. Now how the hell is he supposed to say anything about what it is without giving away some _very_ important things? For example; he _really_ doesn’t want to accidently let slip that he’s been talking to a bright-fin. More specifically that it’s Cas. Dean would take that secret to his grave rather than give up Cas’s name as his source. Who knows what the Council would even say or do if they found out. But he really doesn’t want to take that risk at all.

But he can’t _not_ say anything. _(What does it matter? You’ve been ignoring it until now, so what’s the big deal that they went and gave us four this time?)_ He makes sure to keep his thoughts as blank as he can. Empty of anything but his mild annoyance at being awake this late at night.

Abaddon stretches out on her rock, but doesn’t give any other hint that she might be upset by his answer. _(Because it’s gotten annoying.)_

Dean must have broken the wall holding back the other captains. Victor swims forwards slightly as he offers up his own ideas. _(If they leave one after each battle, then it’s possible that it could be a sign as to how many they’ve lost?)_

For the first time since Dean got here, Cain makes a sound. It might even be the first time that he moves. He snorts through his nose and shakes his head. _(Doubtful. They left four and we didn’t kill any more than was usual. Which is to say, next to none.)_

Now everyone is waking up enough to start thinking. Eve rolls onto her back to stare up at the open ocean above them. _(Maybe it’s a message.)_

 _(Possibly.)_ Lilith hums, her gills rippling. _(But what **kind** of message?)_

Oh great. Now it’s another fucking discussion. Dean actively didn’t participate in the one earlier and now he wants to be a part of this one even less. And it’s not like he really _has_ anything to say, besides exactly what it is. He already said what he could think of. It’s just too late for him to be thinking right. He’s never at his best when he’s just been woken up, and he really would rather be sleeping right now. Maybe that could be a plausible excuse for why he doesn’t say anything after that.

Or, at least, he doesn’t say anything until Alistair’s cold eyes turn to him. _(You’ve been too silent, Dean.)_ He just barely keeps himself from flinching when Alistair’s thoughts slither directly into his head. _(Do you have anything to share?)_

Even though that’s _supposed_ to be a question, Dean knows it isn’t. Alistair is leaving no room for further silence. Dear sweet Mother-sea, he really hopes that he doesn’t fuck this up. Dean closes his eyes and rolls his shoulders in a shrug. He even feigns sleepiness by forcing a yawn. Please, Mother-sea, just let them think that he’s tired. That would make things _so_ much easier for him.

 _(Just thinking, I guess.)_ Dean shrugs again and scratches his fingers through his hair. _(You said they leave one after every battle, right? And if it’s a message, then, I dunno – but –)_ Please, please, _please_ let this work. _(But maybe it’s some kind of request? I doubt it’s their way of surrendering. So, the only thing I can think they might ask for is a truce or another meeting between the Councils.)_

That has Crowley sitting up. He looks as pensive in Dean’s echoes as his thoughts are. _(Didn’t these markers start showing up **after** the bright-fin stopped trying to send us messengers.)_

A sharp laugh nearly has Dean’s heart stuttering to a stop. He glances at Lilith to catch the tail end of it. She’s shaking her head and it doesn’t give Dean a good feeling. _(It’s a pity that we didn’t get to kill as many of those as we should have when we had the chance.)_

Dean blanches. They were killing _messengers_? The rest of the colony hasn’t heard anything about that! At least he knows _he_ hasn’t and neither have the rest of the rebels. They would be a lot more upset if they knew. It’s the unwritten law of war that you _don’t_ do anything to the messengers. Eve, and Samhain don’t seem bothered by it. By Cain narrows his eyes slightly. He’s a fang-fin of honour and he probably doesn’t like this any more than Dean does – hopefully. Maybe. Dean _really_ doesn’t know where he’s concerned. Or with any of the rest of them. This is a great big group of crazy and he’s a part of it whether he likes it or not.

Abaddon huffs a wistful sigh through her gills and looks off in the direction of the bright-fin colony. _(At least we had fun chasing them off. My favourite part was the terror in their faces.)_ She tilts her head to grin at the rest of them. _(If only we had the kin-connection with them. I bet it would have felt **exquisite**.)_

Something hot and sick bubbles up in the back of Dean’s throat. Oh fuck, he better not get sick here. How in the name of Mother-sea did it take him so long to be disgusted by his Council? Dean can’t believe that he used to _crave_ their approval. He found and he killed in their name and it makes his skin and scales crawl. If he could turn back time and change everything, he would do it without hesitation. But he can’t and now he’s stuck with these bastards and there’s nothing he can do about it – except maybe ask if he can be excused now that they have an idea to work off of or something.

Too bad that even that isn’t an option right now. There’s something itching across the edge of his mind and it takes Dean a moment to realize what it is. _Alistair_. He hasn’t said a word since he spoke to Dean. But there’s something about the way that he’s being quiet right now that is downright _terrifying_. His overbearing presence just keeps growing and growing. If _Dean_ can notice it, then there are definitely others who can too.

It’s no surprise when the rest of the conversation dwindles off, though it happens pretty damn suddenly when the rest of the Council takes notice. The three of them look at him and it’s like some unspoken cue happens. They all perk up like someone waved fresh meat under their noses. Dean wouldn’t be surprised if something was being said between the lot of them in a private link.

He nearly flinches when Alistair makes a sharp gesture at him and the captains. _(Leave.)_

Oh thank you Mother-sea. Dean doesn’t need to be told twice. He is _plenty_ happy to get back to somewhere far away where he can be comfortable again. Thankfully he’s not the only one who turns on their tail and swims away. All the captains leave together, though the others branch off quick enough. Victor swims alongside Dean for a ways and they share a knowing look. He knows exactly where Dean is headed and who he’s going to be talking to after this. Sam may be sitting on the edge of his mind, but Dean hasn’t actually spoken to him since before the meeting started. He didn’t want to risk it.

Victor heads off on his own long before Dean finds where Sam and the others are waiting for him. There’s a sinking feeling in his belly and he doesn’t like it. The Council is up to something again. Nothing good is going to come out of this. He just _knows_ it. This is something that he should be telling Cas as soon as he can, but it’s going to be a long damn time before Dean gets to see him again. And _that_ is just one great big load of fish-shit.

On the brightside, this is something new to talk about with the others. And Dean might actually stay awake to be a part of it this time.

*

Turns out, if you spend half the night thinking up all sorts of fucked up ideas of what the Council might be doing, you get _really_ tired in the morning. And since Dean doesn’t have any battles coming up, and he’s not going to be meeting with Cas any time soon, he figures there’s no better time for him to catch some daytime shut eye. Day, night. It doesn’t matter to him. Dean wants to sleep and he’s not going to let anything keep him from it.

Naturally, of course, he ends up only getting yet _another_ short nap before someone risks death to wake him. And this time it’s not Sam.

 _(Slap me again, Charlie, and I’ll kick your tail from here to the surface and back again.)_ Dean pushes her hand away and curls in on himself as best he can – for what little that does him.

Charlie goes right back to poking his tail and slapping his end-fin. Her amusement is dancing around the last dredges of the sleep veil Dean is desperately trying to cling to. But she’s ruining it and he’s going to hate her for this forever if she doesn’t fuck right off. He calls out a quick echo and winces at the silver image painted in his head from it. She’s on her belly and taking up the opening of where he sleeps under an overhang, and she looks _way_ too happy with herself for waking him up – and she looks way too fucking awake considering she was awake even more than he was last night.

A growl rumbles in his throat as she reaches over the end of his tail to pat him on the cheek. _(C’mon sweet-shell. If you want me to stop smacking you, then you better wake the heck up. I’ve got some exciting news for you.)_

This could be anything from a close swarm of fish, to discovering a cache of crabs, to the bright-fin making some kind of sneak attack on them. If it was the latter, there would be a lot more going on in the general colony channel of the kin-connection than the gentle murmur he can feel now. Actually, no. Dean opens his eyes and frowns as he dips further into the colony talk. It’s not a murmur, it’s a loud buzz. Everyone is talking. Something _has_ happened.

The growl turns into a groan as Dean uncurls. He stretches out as best as he can in the small space – big enough for him and Sam, but not big enough for them to be fully stretched out. _(This had better be good, Charlie. You owe me if your news sucks.)_

 _(Depends on your point of view.)_ She wiggles her way backwards out into the open again and Dean pulls himself after her. _(There’s mixed reactions from the colony.)_

 _(I can tell.)_ And if he was a rude bastard, he’d be listening in on the colony to find out what it is since she’s taking her sweet time with telling him.

Charlie sticks her tongue out at him. _(Attitude gets you nothing. But I’ll forgive you this once because I just woke you up.)_ Her gills ruffle with a sigh before she presses her lips together in an unhappy line. _(You ready for this?)_

Dean’s answer is to cross his arms and stare her down.

It’s a blessing from Mother-sea that she doesn’t continue to tease him – though the news kind of makes him wish she did. _(The Council sent Meg as a messenger to the bright-fin.)_

And there goes his jaw. The staring doesn’t let up anymore, but shock is ricocheting through the kin-connection hard enough to make him wince, and it’s his _own_ surprise. _(They did **what**?)_

They have _never_ sent someone to talk to the bright-fin. Not once in the season that they’ve been at war. Of course it’s possible that they just kept that from the colony like they did the messengers from the bright-fin. But Cas would have probably told him if someone from the fang-fin colony had ever shown up to talk to his Council. Both are equally likely, and Dean prefers to go with the latter. Cas is way more trustworthy than his shit excuse for a Council, that’s for sure.

Charlie shrugs and spreads her hands in a hopeless gesture. _(Sorry, but that’s all I’ve got for you, buddy.)_

Alright, okay. But that still doesn’t answer any of the many questions this raises. _(Have they said **why**?)_

 _(Your guess is as good as mine.)_ She shakes her head and jerks a thumb over her shoulder. _(Everyone is gathered at Bobby’s again to talk about it. We’re comparing notes from last night’s discussion to see how this affects anything we thought up.)_

Dean heads out that way, hoping someone has breakfast for him. If not, he might go without. This is big. Bigger than last night’s meeting with the Council. This is a first. This is a _change_ to the war, and from what Dean can tell, everyone is excited about it. The rebels might be a little more worried than the rest of them, though. A change this late in the game can’t be a good thing. And Dean will feed himself to a shark before he even considers that they sent a messenger because they want to end the war.

They’re up to something. But what? Why did they change their mind about meeting the bright-fin Council? What happened last night gave them some kind of idea and Dean isn’t looking forward to finding out what it is. They’ve been against meeting the bright-fin since the beginning. _Fuck_. Nothing good is going to come of this. And this is, in no way, what Dean wanted to wake up to. Now he’s just got a pit in the bottom of his stomach clenching around a ball of worry and it’s all for how this might affect Cas and his family.

Oh shit, _Cas_. How’s he going to take to this? Is he going to be upset that Dean didn’t tell him about this? Hopefully Cas will figure out that this is a new thing that Dean obviously didn’t know anything about at the time. Shit, but Dean wants to know what Cas thinks about this. He starts wracking his brain before he even reaches Bobby’s cave to try and figure out a way that he can meet with Cas and get his input on this. Knowing him, Cas would probably figure out their intentions right away.

Something warm pulls tight in Dean’s chest. It’s like it’s pulsing with pride or something. Cas is just so fucking _smart_. He’s wicked sharp and picks up on a lot of things that Dean completely looks over. Maybe it’s a bright-fin thing, or maybe it’s a Cas thing. Either way, Dean admires it like crazy and he’s so proud that his friend is so smart. And that just makes him wish even harder that he could see Cas right now so they could make sense of all this bullshit that the Council is pulling right now.

*

Spending a whole day on edge with little sleep doesn’t leave Dean in the best of moods. He wants to sleep, but he’s too worried about what the Council is doing for him to actually take a nap. Even after Meg came back, he still can’t get his brain to shut off long enough to let him catch even just a few winks. And it doesn’t help that the discussions have gotten all sorts of repetitive and he’s gotten completely bored of them – _again_.

It’s not like talking is going to get anything done. What Dean wants is some _action_ , but that probably means death for quite a few people, so it’s best that they don’t do that. They actually need some kind of _plan_ before they do anything like that. And right now they don’t have one. There’s too much unknown for that, apparently. Of course they have plenty of contingency plans in case one thing or another happens, but that’s not good enough for Dean. He’ll settle for it now, but it doesn’t sit right with him.

Today just isn’t his day, apparently. Nothing has been going right since the night meeting. The most peace he’s gotten all day from everyone – family included – is when he leaves to go relieve himself. Or when he went hunting for something to eat. Even then he wasn’t really alone. There were totally other colony members there too, each of them getting their own meal.

He just – Dean feels fucking lost. There’s nothing he can do right now and he’s just _waiting_ on someone for something. It’s driving him crazy. And now he doesn’t even have the outlet of a good fight. Dean may have stopped killing them, but he still gave it his all when he was fighting the bright-fin. It was like sparring and wrestling and everything he grew up with but with. He could use that right now, but his fucking division isn’t _allowed_ into battle anymore.

So, of course, with the shitty day he’s been having, of _course_ Meg would show up again halfway through the evening. In fact, she swims up to them just as he’s readying himself to tell everyone that he’s going to turn in for the night and get some much needed sleep. Fucking _typical_. What else is going to go wrong? Is the Council going to want to see him again and this time they’re going to rip out his still beating heart? Probably. He wouldn’t be surprised, actually.

 _(Hey Freckles!)_ Meg prods at his mind before she comes to a stop.

There’s a smug pride just pouring out of her, and Dean knows for a fact that she’s been bragging all day about being selected as the messenger. He also knows that he doesn’t want to deal with her or anything that she’s coming to tell him. But there’s no way he’s going to get that, is he? No, of course not. Dean’s life doesn’t work that way. Which is why he doesn’t do anything but look at Meg and wait for her to get out the rest of what she has to say.

That seems to pop her bubble a bit and her smile falls a little. _(You know the drill, Dean-o. The bosses want to talk with you.)_

Jess puts a hand on Dean’s shoulder to pull herself forward slightly. _(What’s it for **this** time?)_

Meg pulls back her upper lip in a sneer that gets Dean’s blood boiling. _(That’s none of your business, gigantor. They want your little big brother and that’s all any of you need to know.)_

 _(If it’s something to do with Dean, then it’s something to do with all of us.)_ Sam swims up on his other side, nearly bumping arm-fins with him.

Her smile drops completely and turns into a full on scowl. _(Nope, not this time. Or ever. They only want their golden boy, here.)_ She points specifically at Dean. _(So let’s get going before I lose my patience.)_

Why does that not sound like a good thing? _(Are the other captains going to be there?)_ He frowns when Meg shrugs. _(I guess I can’t hope that it’s going to be something quick like they want me to go hunting with them, huh?)_

She shrugs again and her thoughts sour with annoyance. _(I don’t know and I don’t care, Freckles. All I know is that they’re playing favourites right now and they want **you**.) _ There’s a particularly bitter tinge to that. _(I don’t know why they had to pick **you**. They could’ve just picked **me**.)_

Dean almost cracks a smile. _(Jealousy suites you, Meg.)_

 _(Oh fuck you and get to the Council.)_ Meg hisses, shoulders hunching angrily. If the Council wasn’t waiting, Dean would completely expect her to come at him with her fangs bared right now. Instead, she turns on her tail and swims off without another word. She doesn’t even wait for him to follow.

Dean sighs and shrugs Jess’s hand off. He pulls open his private link in the kin-connection with her and the others and gives Sam a pointed look. _(Just do the same as last night. If there’s any sign of anything suspicious going down, I’ll let you know right away.)_

He doesn’t have the energy right now to argue with them about how that might be unnecessary. They’re going to do it whether he tells them to or not. And, at this point, he does want them there. A second meeting in less than a full day is _more_ than suspicious. It’s can’t be anything but bad things and everyone here knows it. Which means he’s actually kind of _worried_ about this meeting and this time it’s not contact worry from the others being protective.

Sam’s lips draw into a thin line but he nods. Dean doesn’t look back again while he swims away, immediately setting to try and prepare himself for what’s coming up next. He can’t take the Council’s fish-shit for too long when he’s in this kind of mood, especially when there have been two meetings so close together. This is going to overload him on their shitty personalities and he’s going to snap if he’s not careful. Please, Mother-sea, let this _second meeting_ be the shortest meeting in all of fang-fin history.

By the time he reaches the Council, Meg is already there and she’s waiting with her arms crossed. She takes off the moment he’s in sight and her thoughts are a grumbling undercurrent to the kin-connection. At any other time, Dean would find this amusing. Right now, he barely even notices. He’s expecting anything, everything, and nothing at this point, but everything is all the more interesting – and confusing – because _Eve_ is there too.

Dean nods at her out of respect. Before he can do the same to the Council, Abaddon is _suddenly right there_ and in his face. He has to force himself not to flinch and he keeps his reaction from the kin-connection. If Sam felt him get freaked out by anything, he’d be charging through the dark with half the rebels at his tail. But out of everything that Abaddon could have done, Dean never thought she would reach out and touch his hair.

A sweet and altogether terrifying smile reflects in Dean’s echoes, much closer than he ever wanted to see it. _(Did Meg explain why we’ve called you?)_

He shakes his head, hoping that it’ll knock her hand from his hair. _(Nope.)_ It works, but then she goes right back to petting it. _(But – um – from what I could tell, she’s pretty damn jealous that you picked me over her for whatever this is.)_

Abaddon just shrugs and her hand drops to trace the hard edge of one of Dean’s side-fins. _(That’s because she isn’t one of our greatest soldiers.)_

There’s no stopping the cold shiver of disgust as she practically _caresses_ his side-fin. With her claws next to his face, Dean has to force himself not to tilt his head out from under her touch. It’s that or risk having Abaddon rip his throat out if he offends her in some way. This is the first time she’s been like this and he doesn’t have the first idea why. But he would _really_ like her to stop and he hopes to Mother-sea that she doesn’t touch him any more than this. He’s not sure he could stop himself from slapping her hand away if she touches anywhere else.

 _(There are better soldiers than me that you could have picked from.)_ It’s completely true. Cain would have been a much better choice than him, depending on what it is that they chose him to do. Not to mention the whole _rebel_ thing.

That only seems to amuse Abaddon and she cups his face between her hands. _(Yes, but you’re Alistair’s **favourite** and he wants us to choose **you**.) _ She pats his cheek lightly. _(It helps that you’re easy on the eyes and the echoes.)_

Okay, that just brings up all new questions. _Why_ is he Alistair’s favourite? The most contact he’s ever had with him, aside from the more recent stuff because of his promotion to captain, was when Alistair oversaw the hatchling training for a little bit. He used to stop in and watch the little ones while they were sparring and learning all the different ways they can fight. Those were some of the first times that Dean ever saw one of the Council members close up. But that was it. That was all the contact he had with Alistair. So this _favourite_ thing is news to him.

And he absolutely doesn’t want to mention that or find out the real reason why because that just sounds _way_ too fucking creepy. Not that easy-on-the-eyes thing is a great alternative either. _(So, you called me here just so you could look at me?)_

_(No, we’ve called you here for other reasons.)_

Another cold chill sweeps down Dean’s spine to the very tip of his tail when Alistair finally speaks. He pushes himself off his rock and swims over. As soon as he approaches, Abaddon pulls away. Her amusement dances along the edges of the kin-connection while Alistair starts circling – and _that_ does nothing to help calm Dean down.

_(We’ve summoned you to let you know what’s going to happen tomorrow.)_

Dean perks up at that. _(Is my division going to be a part of the next battle?)_

 _(There might not be another battle.)_ Crowley’s thoughts dance with laughter and it does _not_ sound any sort of good right now.

Alistair reaches out and puts his hand on Dean’s shoulder, squeezing it hard enough that his claws press into Dean’s skin. He fights not to flinch. _(You and Eve will be coming with us tomorrow.)_

 _(Us?)_ Dean glances to Eve, throwing echoes at her. She’s grinning like someone just handed her an entire sea giant to feast on. _(I’m accompanying who and where?)_

 _(Abaddon, Lilith, and myself.)_ He lets go of Dean, thankfully, and swims off to sit with the two of them. _(And we’ll be going to the bright-fin colony.)_ All three of them have the same vicious grin that makes Dean’s blood run cold.

It takes all of Dean’s willpower not to react or immediately feed that information to Sam and the others. He takes a shaky breath and forces his thoughts to sound excited – which isn’t too hard. Dean _is_ kind of excited – because something is finally happening. Questions are being answered and proper plans can be formed.

 _(So **that’s** what Meg did.) _ Now that he thinks about it, that’s the most obvious reason to have sent a messenger. But it’s so hard to believe that they would _willingly_ ask for a meeting with the bright-fin Council. _(Why are you meeting with them now?)_

Crowley shrugs and his smile is just as creepy as the rest of them. _(Let’s just say that they’ve... worn us down.)_ Which is just all _sorts_ of fish-shit. They didn’t even _know_ what the markers meant a day ago. There is no way anything they’re saying right now can be taken at face value.

 _(And you’re going to come with us because each Council member is going to bring one guard.)_ Lilith answers the question Dean didn’t ask yet and he’s pretty thankful for it. _(We’re bringing three and they’re bringing three. Simple as that.)_

Which begs the question, which members of the bright-fin Council are going to go? Dean figures at least one of them is going to be Cas’s brother. Probably two, if he thinks about it hard enough and tries to remember everything Cas has ever told him about them – which isn’t a lot, actually. And who of the colony are they going to pick as their guards? Is Cas going to be one of them? To Dean’s knowledge, Cas _is_ one of the better fighters in the colony.

Actually, if Dean knows Cas, then he’s probably going to push his way into being one of the guards. He wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and _especially_ if one of his brothers is going. And that means that Dean is going to see him tomorrow in full view of his own Council and he’s going to have to pretend like he doesn’t know him. But this whole thing _stinks_. Dean knows without a doubt that he can’t trust his Council. They’re up to something here and now there’s the chance that _Cas_ could be hurt by it.

Things just got a lot more serious.

 _(Well, I’m honoured. But who else is going?)_ He looks pointedly at Eve. _(Me, Eve, and...?)_

 _(Me.)_ Alistair squares his shoulders, and sits up a little straighter. _(I don’t need a guard for myself.)_

Lilith rolls her eyes. _(Technically speaking, neither do we.)_

The cold amusement that brushes through the kin-connection following that belongs to Eve and Dean is almost as scared of it as he is of the rest of the Council. _(They’re going to be taking us with them just for the fun of it.)_

 _(Because you look good.)_ Abaddon adds with a laugh. _(And we’re well aware of the reputation you made for yourself with the bright-fin. I wish we knew what they called you. I bet it’s something **hilarious**.)_

Dean knows, but like fuck he’s going to say what it is. And, of course, everyone is so closed off from him in the kin-connection that he’s not getting _anything_ from them besides what they purposefully want to share. He doesn’t even want to _try_ and pretend to make a guess at what they’re really planning by requesting a meeting. He knows that it’s not going to be anything even remotely close to good. And that means he’s probably not going to get to sleep a whole lot tonight again either.

There are things that are going to need to be _prepared_ tonight. Sam and the others are going to come up with Mother-sea only knows how many plans. They’re going to be reading for anything and everything. They’ll be ready for the worst and this might be the only time Dean approves of their endless discussions. Those talks might be the only thing that helps keep Cas alive, because Dean does _not_ trust his Council in the slightest. There is no way this is just going to be a _talk_.

Crowley muffles a yawn and his gills flutter with a loud sigh. _(Make sure that you bring a weapon with you tomorrow. We want you to look intimidating – or more so than usual.)_

Dean very nearly snorts a laugh at that. Hah! A weapon. _Right_. All he has is a shitty, crudely cut stone sword. It can’t even be held up to the bright-fins and their metal swords. In fact, once they learned what kind of weapons the bright-fin use, Dean hasn’t touched his sword since. It would do him zero good tomorrow, so why would he even bother? But if that’s what his Council wants, then fine. Though if he has to use it, he’ll be using it on _them_.

But what kills him right now is that he can’t warn Cas about this ahead of time. This is going to change the plans that _they_ had together. At least Cas already knows that he can’t trust Dean’s Council. If he hasn’t heard about tomorrow’s meeting by now, then he’s going to sooner or later. Regardless, Dean will need to have the rebels ready for this. If anything happens that puts Cas or his Council in danger, then Dean is going to get the drop on the fang-fin Council while he’s still got the breath in his gills for it.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh sweet Mother-sea. _(They let **Lucifer** talk to her?)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~Glossary~~ [COMING SOON] | [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Castiel is in the middle of a drill with his garrison when a disruption occurs. He's deep in discussion with Uriel when a messenger arrives at the edge of his assembled garrison. They're broken into groups and teams as they practice strategies for rescues – which is all the more important now that the rebels won't be out in force during battles. Usually Castiel doesn't enjoy interruptions, but this one catches his attention the moment the message passes through to him in the kin-connection that a messenger has shown up and he's calling for him.

Moments after the notice reaches Castiel through the kin-connection, the messenger finds him. He recognizes Samandriel from his glow pattern before a link forms between them – or even before he enters the halo of light around them to see his face. It's odd to find him playing as a messenger, though Castiel isn't surprised. The garrison he's a part of is guarding the trench at the moment and, during a war, everyone is subject to covering any number of positions.

Samandriel drops any pretense of etiquette. There are no greetings or manners involved with delivering his message. _(The Council wants to see you immediately.)_ His thoughts carry a thread of urgency that piques Castiel's interest.

Castiel nods at him. _(Thank you. I'll return shortly.)_

After a brief moment of hesitation where the adipose fins along his tail roll to keep him in place, Samandriel shares another thought. _(Do you want me to return with you?)_

 _(If you would like to wait for me, you may.)_ He shrugs and turns back to where Uriel is waiting for him patiently, though his gaze is fixed on the training garrison. _(You're in charge while I'm away. See that they practice on their reaction times more than anything.)_ Castiel is fully confident in the fighting abilities of his garrison. But the sooner that they can be at someone's side to help them, the more likely they are to save them.

Uriel glances at him with a short nod. _(Understood.)_

Always one for short conversation, he swims off over the garrison. Already he's calling orders at them, his thoughts a strong push through the kin-connection. Castiel feels confident in leaving his garrison in Uriel's hands. He did have command over it when Castiel was presumed dead, after all. If anything ever did actually happen to him, Uriel would make a fine replacement.

Samandriel follows closely beside him as they orient themselves towards the trench. The swim itself is conducted mostly in silence. Neither of them are particularly close, so Castiel doesn’t much mind it. He honestly barely even knows Samandriel more than his name or position in his garrison. That silence only lasts for around half the swim back. It's the exact amount of time it takes for Castiel's curiosity to reach its breaking point – though that has never been very long to start with.

 _(Do you happen to know why the Council is calling me?)_ He spares a glance at Samandriel to see if he can read anything in his expression. Unfortunately, he can't. And there isn't much that he can glean from what surface emotions can be felt through the kin-connection.

 _(I don't know exactly.)_ Samandriel shrugs and glances at him from under the three splotches of his glow pattern that go across his forehead. _(But I do know that they've called all the garrison leaders. And that it probably has something to do with that fang-fin who showed up carrying one of our meeting markers.)_

Unsurprisingly, the first thought that Castiel has is that it was Dean. Without being aware of it, he beats his tail harder and increases his speed. He pushes himself in the hopes of getting to the trench faster. If the fang-fin is still there, then maybe he'll be able to catch them before they leave. Hopefully it _is_ Dean, and then he can speak with him again. His first question would be _why_ Dean is here earlier than was originally predicted last time, and with a meeting marker no less.

Surprise flickers across the kin-connection as Samandriel has to push himself to keep up. _(Is everything alright, Castiel?)_ Concern colours the edges of his thoughts.

That remains to be seen and Castiel doesn't bother answering the question. _(Is the fang-fin still there?)_

A small portion of the concern vanishes at that, but it only adds to Samandriel's confusion and curiosity. _(No. She had already left before the Council summoned me. I saw her being escorted back to the edges of our territory.)_

That brings Castiel to a short and sudden stop. He flares all his fans and twists his tail under and in front of him, flipping to beat it in the opposite direction. _( **She**?) _ Castiel is already sifting through any rebel females that he knows.

If Samandriel had been swimming behind him, he would have swam right into Castiel. He ends up swimming past him before he manages to bring himself to a stop. Now Samandriel is fascinated by Castiel's reactions. _(Yes, it was a female. She returned one of our meeting markers directly to Lucifer. From what I understand, they spoke for a short bit and then she was escorted away. I'm sorry, but that's all I know.)_

Oh sweet Mother-sea. _(They let **Lucifer** talk to her?)_

Of all the Council members, Lucifer might be one of the better ones to talk to, but he still wouldn't be Castiel's first choice. Michael should have handled talking to a fang-fin directly. Lucifer can have silver edged thoughts and he knows how to be a people pleaser, but it's all an act. Castiel knows all sides of his brother and Lucifer can be just as cold and crudely calculating as Raphael and Metaton. And he would be more likely than Michael would be to say something untoward to the enemy.

Samandriel shrugs and tilts his head, his head-fans flare out curiously. _(Yes, they did. From what I saw when they summoned me, Raphael wasn't too happy. Though he never really looks happy. So, that could just be his default expression there.)_

Knowing the Council, Raphael probably _is_ angry. Because if Castiel knows Lucifer, and he does, then it's likely that he went and spoke with the fang-fin female without full Council approval. Raphael would have likely wanted the _whole_ Council to talk with her, or at least have it be _him_ who spoke to her. But Lucifer rarely cares about what Raphael thinks and Castiel will have to check with someone nonetheless when he reaches the trench – if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

Castiel twists and starts swimming again. He has no real need to rush anymore, but the many questions he wants to ask are burning in the back of his mind and they urge him on. The muscles in his tail aren’t even feeling slightly sore by the time he reaches the lip of the trench. Perhaps it’s the adrenaline, or perhaps it’s because he has to swim this hard for a similar distance any time his rescue teams are called to help with a battle.

He wastes no time with checking on his sleep shelf or seeing if Balthazar is nearby. If all the garrison leaders are being called, than Anna should be here sooner or later. Castiel dives over the lip of the trench and angles himself towards the end where the Council’s auditorium is. Samandriel breaks off then, heading off back to his post now that his task has been completed. Their farewells are brief and Castiel’s attention is very much focused on other things now.

His mind easily joins the constant flow of thoughts that make up the colony-wide kin-connection. He picks out the minds of his siblings, unsurprised to find that everyone but Balthazar is there. They’re never going to hear the end of how left out he’s going to feel because of that. Though he could have confirmed it simply by sifting through the kin-connection a little more, Castiel waits until he reaches the auditorium to determine which of the other garrison leaders are present. Of the six of them, it appears that with Castiel arrival there are only five present.

With a nod of his head and a pulse of acknowledgement in the kin-connection, Castiel greets Azriel, Naomi, and Bartholomew. The only one they’re waiting for now is Kali, and to Castiel is fairly sure that her garrison was one on patrol today. He’s fairly tempted to ask Azriel if she told Balthazar where she was going and whether or not he complained about it. But that’s an unnecessary question that can be saved for another time.

Aside from that, he essentially ignores their existence as he head straights for Anna. Her glow is the only orange one lighting the dark of the auditorium. He could easily pick her out from a distance, even if she wasn’t his sister. She greets him with a burst of fond warmth in the kin-connection and a tight hug. This war has kept their family apart for too long. They grew up seeing each other every day and now they can go more than a rotation without seeing one another. It’s only because of Castiel’s _special_ circumstances regarding the fang-fin that he’s seen Michael, Lucifer, and Gabriel more than Balthazar or Anna have.

He returns her hug and tilts his head towards the Council on their pillars. _(What happened?)_

 _(You probably know as much as I do.)_ She shrugs and steals a glance at them. _(Lucifer talked to a fang-fin and that’s the extent of my knowledge. Sorry.)_

Raphael is sitting with his tail curled around the pillar, the end of it tapping repeatedly against the stone. His arms are crossed and Castiel can pick out the curl of his upper lip in this echoes. It feels like a breath of fresh ocean water through his gills that, for once, _he_ isn’t on the receiving end of Raphael’s glare. That particularly dark look is currently being directed behind Michael’s back at Lucifer. The fact that Lucifer is flat out ignoring Raphael doesn’t seem to be helping relations between them any. Castiel is going to take that as a confirmation of his earlier assumption.

Michael either isn’t aware of the glare, or he just doesn’t care. His attention, currently, is focused on Castiel. _(Thank you for coming so quickly.)_

He nods in greeting, wishing he could hug his brothers like he did Anna. _(Samandriel gave me a brief overview of why we were called here. I’m eager to hear more about that.)_

As soon as he’s said that, Castiel can feel a subtle and secretive touch against the edge of his mind. It’s Gabriel. There’s something he wants to say and he wants to say it in secret. Normally Castiel would be all for it, but he’s got Michael’s attention right now and Gabriel is just going to have to wait.

 _(In due time.)_ Michael lets some shades of amusement colour his thoughts. _(We’ll fill all of you in on everything once Kali has joined us.)_ He glances upwards toward the lip of the trench above them. _(She should be here soon.)_

After a pause, Michael’s gaze turns to where Gabriel is slouched on his pillar, looking more bored than anything else – despite the insistent touch he keeps pushing against Castiel’s mind. _(Don’t you dare say anything more. We’re waiting for Kali to say anything else.)_

Gabriel’s fans flare sharply and his glow brightens in what could be considered an embarrassed blush. It’s a knowing tell that he has when he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Immediately, he’s attempts at creating a private link with Castiel stops. _(I wasn’t going to say anything!)_

 _(Yes, you were.)_ Michael looks away and Gabriel sticks his tongue out at the side of his head.

He gives Castiel a shrug and his fans flicker in annoyance. Gabriel must have _really_ wanted to be the one to give Castiel the news. Now he wishes that he’d listened when Gabriel first tried to establish the private link between them. Waiting for Kali to show up is going to feel like _torture_. Usually Castiel is a very patient fin-kin. But this – this is an itch under his scales and in his veins. He needs to know what was aid to the fang-fin female. He needs to know how this is going to impact the bright-fin and the rebels. And he needs to tell Dean everything as soon as possible.

Anna puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. Her thoughts touch his in a calming, gentle manner. She must read something in his body language that belies his agitation. Maybe it’s the way his adipose-fins ripple near violently to keep him floating, or the way his head-fins twitch every so often with his nerves. But he can’t help it. Castiel wants to know so much. Everyone who knows it is sitting so close and they won’t tell him anything.

It’s annoying him more than the way Metatron puffs out his chest with a flood of his disgustingly _smug_ feelings into the kin-connection. Apparently he just _loves_ knowing things that someone else wants to know. If Castiel gives him the chance, Metatron would probably tease him endlessly about it. Thankfully, Kali arrives before Metatron can think of anything to say – or before Castiel has to decide on an acceptable way of ignoring a member of the Council.  

If it wasn’t for Anna’s elbow digging into his side, Castiel might never have noticed how Gabriel sits up a little straight as Kali descends into the auditorium. Her red glow adds to the pool of light they create around them as she stops to float next to Azriel. Castiel raises his eyebrows in surprise as Gabriel actually lifts his hand and _waves_ at Kali. When did he get so familiar with her to do something like that? They’re not even from the same breeding season. And Gabriel didn’t even wave to _Castiel_ when he arrived. This is intriguing – and something for another time.

Before anyone can even greet Kali properly, Castiel spreads the circular fan at the end of his tail and rolls his body. He pushes up until he’s on level with the Council where they sit on their pillars. This is verging on disrespectful, but he’s waited long enough for the answers to the many questions building up in his head. If they don’t forgive him for swimming out of line here, then he’ll take whatever punishment comes with it – as long as he gets his answers first.

 _(I was told you had a messenger from the fang-fin arrive today. What did she say?)_ The unspoken question there, that he knows Michael will pick up on, is whether or not she’s someone that can be trusted. There are few rebels that Castiel completely trusts, but if she was one of them, then maybe –

Michael shakes his head and curbs Castiel’s thoughts, bringing them to a stop. _(She wasn’t one of your rebels, Castiel. She introduced herself as a representative of the Council.)_

 _(Did she give a name?)_ He might not be as familiar with the fang-fin Council and their lackeys as he could be, but he does know some of the ones that Dean has complained about the most. If she happens to be any of them, then Castiel will know for certain if she can be trusted or not.

Lucifer leans forward to rest his elbows on the curve of his tail. _(She said her name was Meg and she was bringing a message from her Council.)_

The name sounds familiar and Castiel is absolutely certain that Dean does not like her. He shakes his head and shares the memories of that particular conversation with everyone. _(To my understanding, she’s not someone to be trusted.)_ And he’s certain that Dean would have told him that the Council was planning on sending a messenger if he knew that this had been in the planning. Which means this is something Dean _didn’t_ know about and nothing the fang-fin Council is doing now can be trusted.

Michael shares a look with the rest of the members of the Council before he turns back to Castiel. His thoughts come slow, like he’s carefully picking what to say. It makes Castiel’s stomach twist in a sickening fashion. _(We understand that their Council can’t be trusted. But –)_

But Castiel can already see where this is going. _(Meg had one of our markers. They’ve asked for a meeting and you’ve said yes, haven’t you?)_

Disapproval sears through the kin-connection and Raphael adds his thoughts to the conversation. They’re crisp, clear, and extremely unhappy. _(Yes, that have and yes, we did.)_

It feels like his stomach takes a nosedive for the floor of the auditorium. _(When are you going to meet with them?)_ He adds an urgency to his thoughts without really intending to, but what if the schedule of the Council meeting conflicts with the one with the rebels?

Lucifer holds out his hand in a halting gesture. _(Calm down, Castiel.)_

 _(I **am** calm.) _ Or as calm as he can be when he can see so many things going wrong before his eyes. _(I’m asking **when** this meeting will be happening.)_

Michael studies him for a moment before he gives his answer. _(Tomorrow. Midday.)_

No, no, _no_. This is messing up all the plans they had with the rebels. This is terrible and Castiel refuses to believe that the fang-fin Council means any good with this supposed _meeting_. He shakes his head and makes an angry slicing gesture with one hand, the other folding into a trembling fist. _(You’re really going to meet with them **before** you meet with Dean?)_

 _(Why wouldn’t we?)_ Metatron curiosity is honest, as is his smug delight in seeing Castiel come loose at his seams. He’s usually more composed than this, but Dean and the rebels have worked so hard to _earn_ their meeting and now it’s going to be snatched away from them for what is undoubtedly a trap.

 _(For a number of reasons.)_ Castiel spits the thoughts into the kin-connection, trying not to sound accusatory – though his brothers, at least, should have thought of this already. They’re smarter than this. _(For one, Dean – the rebels – could give you more information. They could help you be better prepared for this meeting. And, for another, this is obviously a trap. The fang-fin Council wouldn’t just –)_

Michael’s frown is half in shadows, but it’s still clear without Castiel’s echoes. _(This is a meeting between Councils. We have made our decision, Castiel, and you will respect it.)_

Before Castiel can say anything against it, Gabriel decides to add his opinions to the conversation. _(To start with, Cassie, **they** were the ones who wanted it for tomorrow. If we asked to postpone it because we **might** have a meeting with the rebels soon, don’t you think they’d probably find that maybe kinda a little bit suspicious?)_

Castiel grits his teeth. There is a ring of truth to that, but that doesn’t mean he has to _like_ it. And they made the promise to the rebels first. The fang-fin Council is up to no good and they’re going to use this against them somehow.

Metatron nods in agreement and Castiel barely refrains from sneering at him. _(I would like to point out that we also have no guarantee that what your rebels predicted will be true about the next battle. We have a sure thing with the Council now and we’ve been requesting another meeting with them since the start of this war. We can’t pass this up just because it might hurt the feelings of your rebel friends.)_

He has a point and Castiel certainly understands their reasoning, but in no way does he trust the fang-fin Council. There’s a tingly uncomfortable feeling itching across the back of his neck telling him that this meeting is _not_ a good thing. It doesn’t matter that the Council has been trying for this for so long. Castiel can’t shake this suspicion. He needs to find some way to stop this meeting – at least until Michael has met with the rebels.

Anna’s hand is on his shoulder again and she gives it a tight squeeze. _(You’re fighting a losing battle here, little one.)_ The use of her pet name does calm his ruffled scales slightly. _(Don’t push them for what you know you can’t get right now.)_

No matter who tells him that, Castiel still doesn’t want to hear it. His hand are balled into fists and they’re shaking at his sides. He hates this. He hates that plans are changing and that he doesn’t know what the fang-fin Council is up to. And he especially hates that he doesn’t know who will be going to this meeting – or why all the garrison leaders need to be present for this.

Naomi must be thinking along the same lines. She takes the uncomfortable silence that follows Anna’s statement to ask a question of her own. _(Who will be representing our Council at the meeting?)_

Michael gestures first to his right and then to his left. _(Raphael, Lucifer, and myself.)_ His finally gesture is to tap against his chest at the center of the curved design carved there to mark him as a member of the Council. Each of them has the same mark, but Michael is the only one with the scarred designs across his entire chest, face, and arms that denote him to be the leader of the entire colony.

 _Two_ of his brothers are going to be going to this meeting and that is beyond unacceptable. Castiel lifts his chin, knowing that he’ll be seen as defiant for this. _(I’m going too.)_ Someone has to look after his brothers and there is no one Castiel trusts to do it more than himself – or Anna.

Raphael’s anger flares sharply in the kin-connection, a blinding bright point that shocks half the fin-kin who are linked with him. His upper lip curls back and an annoyed growl rumbles through the water. _(What makes you think **that**?)_

 _(I’m not asking for permission.)_ Castiel’s response is slow and calm. He has never been more serious. _(I’m letting you know that **I am going**.)_

With a snarl, Raphael uncurls from around his pillar and swims forward until he’s not more than a tail length away. _(I have had **enough** of your attitude, Castiel.) _ His fans flare and his glow brightens aggressively, a wordless challenge of dominance. _(You may be the brother of three of our Council members, but you are still just a **brother**. You are **not** a member of this Council. Yet someone you believe yourself to above our rul–)_

 _(Raphael.)_ Michael’s sharp tone slices through Raphael’s lecture.

He swims over to grab his shoulder and pull him back before Raphael does something like trying to get physically violent. They stare at each other for a minute before Raphael jerks his arm out of Michael’s grip. He growls at Castiel again before returning to his pillar.

Michael fixes Castiel with a disappointed stare even though he continues addresses Raphael. _(We will handle Castiel’s attitude at another time when we **aren’t** in the company of all the garrison leaders.)_

Castiel returns Michael’s stare with a determined set to his jaw. He is absolutely serious that he’ll be going to this meeting. Even if he has to go without their permission. It will likely get him in a lot of trouble, but at least he’ll be able to keep his brothers safe if they need him. And then he’ll know what’s going on and he’ll be able to tell Dean what’s happening – if he doesn’t already know. Of course, that can only happen if he ever gets the chance to see him again. At this point, he might have to start sneaking away again if he wants to see him.

Anna blasts the awkward silence in the kin-connection with nothing in particular. It’s her way of drawing attention to herself – and off of Castiel. _(Well, I know that I – for one – would like to know why we were all called here in the first place. It can’t be because you only wanted to tell us about the meeting.)_

She sends a particularly pointed look at Gabriel and Castiel can feel her reach through the kin-connection to mentally nudge him. Gabriel flinches on his pillar and sits up straight again. He seizes the moment and looks around at the other Council members. _(She has a point. Let’s get this over with, why don’t we?)_

Lucifer nods, clearly in agreement, though his thoughts still carry a disapproving tone as he watches Castiel too. _(We called you here because it has been agreed that we are permitted to bring **three** guards with us – one per each Council member attending.)_

 _(And you’re going to be taking us.)_ Kali’s thoughts are bright and intrigued as she looks at her fellow garrison leaders. _(Or rather, three of us. Or are you after our suggestions for any members of our garrisons that we feel would be acceptable for this position?)_

Metatron scratches at the stubble he never fully shaves from his face. His interest in the conversation seems to be waning now that no arguments are happening. _(You six are the best of our warriors and you lead our garrisons because of it. There is no one more acceptable for the position than you lot.)_

There’s something about that explanation that doesn’t sit well with Castiel. Bartholomew asks the question before he can. _(If that’s the case, and you only need **three** guards, why would you call all six of us? You could have just called the three that you need without bothering the rest of us.)_

With a sigh, Michael turns around and swims back to his pillar. _(Because Castiel is right.)_ He sits again and wraps his tail around the pillar, his shoulders slumping slightly. In that instant, he looks more tired than Castiel has ever seen him. _(This is **incredibly** suspicious. We called the six of you because we’re going to need **all** of you for what we have planned.)_

That alleviates quite a bit of Castiel’s concerns. _(And what is that supposed to mean?)_ His head-fans spread with interest as he perks up. He shares a quick look with Anna and she seems just as piqued as him, her adipose-fins rippling harder than usual.

A wicked smile spreads across Gabriel’s lips and it reflects in Castiel’s echoes. _(It means, little bro, that we have a **plan**.)_

*

The moment the garrison leaders are dismissed, Castiel turns on his tail and swims away. He’s well aware that if he sticks around for much longer, he’s going to be detained by Raphael – or the entire Council – and be subject to an extremely long and very annoying lecture about his _attitude_. Thought he would be loath to admit it, Castiel does understand that he was out of line with his actions earlier. If they call him back, he’ll make a proper – and mostly sincere – apology to them. For now, he’ll avoid it while it’s not required of him.

At least one of his brothers must be aware that he was so brazen with his thoughts if only because two of them would be in danger if anything went wrong at this meeting. They must understand that feeling at least somewhat, right? He can only hope. Of course it wasn’t _just_ his protective feelings that caused his outburst, but no one really needs to know about the rest of that – especially about the part where he’s rather worried about Dean.

Castiel gets a good distance from the auditorium before he realizes that Anna is practically right on his tail. She has to actually slap him on the arm to get his attention as she pulls up next to him. _(You are **not** going to leave without actually saying goodbye to me, are you?)_

 _(Of course not.)_ He gives her a quick smile and wave of warm feelings in the kin-connection. _(I’m just getting away before Raphael decides to tear a strip out of my scales.)_

 _(Good plan.)_ Anna laughs for a moment before her expression falls into seriousness. _(What do you think of the plan the Council came up with?)_

To be honest, Castiel was pleasantly surprised at how sound of a plan it was. Granted, three fifths of the Council know how to fight and they fight well. Gabriel and Metatron are smart, even though neither would be considered a warrior. Combined together, the Council is a formidable force. Castiel doubts he could have come up with a better plan than this.

 _(It’s as good a plan as we’re going to get.)_ Especially with as little time as they have to prepare. _(As long as no one lets the fang-fin get any further than the surface of the kin-connection, then I believe that we’ll be fine. If there are rebels there, I won’t share a thought of the plan with them.)_

_(Guess we can only hope that we’re not going to need to fill them in at any point, huh?)_

He nods in agreement. If Dean is there, he would like to tell him everything that they’re planning. But any contact with Dean when directly in front of the fang-fin Council might cause trouble for him – no matter how secretive they try to be. It’s not a risk Castiel is willing to take. They’ll have to wait until afterwards. And, hopefully, if anything is going to happen, then maybe Dean will know to expect them to have something planned in some way.

Anna glances off into the distance as they rise over the lip of the trench. _(How are we going to hide **three** garrisons, though? There’s no way the fang-fin aren’t going to notice that many warriors.)_

 _(It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure.)_ Castiel sighs and drifts to a stop.

The location for the meeting is a familiar one to him. It’s where the Councils first met when war was declared. It’s just on the edge of the bright-fin territory and patrols pass through it several times a day. Castiel has been there more than once since then, despite how it doesn’t hold very good memories for him. The biggest disappointment of his life happened there. _War_ started there. He hates that spot and he is not looking forward to returning to it.

 _(It’s not fair that **you** get to go and **I** don’t.) _ Anna stops too and crosses her arms, a pout forming on her lips. _(I’m older. I should be the one to go!)_

She had privately objected to this when the Council had told them about it earlier too. There had been an unhappy outburst that only Castiel could hear when Michael admitted that she wouldn’t be at the meeting. But her body language had said it all and Gabriel had apologized repeatedly just so she would stop glaring at everyone.

Castiel puts a comforting hand on her arm. _(Your garrison is full of strong fighters. We could ask for no one better to watch the trench than you and your warriors.)_

Anna sniffs and huffs a sigh through her gills. _(Don’t forget that **Kali** and her garrison are staying behind too.)_ After a moment, her huff turns into a laugh. _(Though I think that was just because Gabriel wants to keep her close.)_

That catches his attention and he his fans flare in surprise. _(I’m sorry, what?)_ This likely has something to do with why Gabriel waved at her earlier too.

His honest confusion is met with nothing but disbelief and Anna look at him sharply, mouth open in surprise. _(Please tell me that you don’t actually know that our big bro has had his sight set on Kali since he went through puberty.)_ At Castiel’s silence, she reaches out and punches him in the shoulder. _(Oh my mother-sea, how are you **that** blind?!)_

Castiel glides back and out of her reach, just in case she tries to hit him again. He has no real excuse for not noticing this before, but still. _(I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been rather concerned with other things.)_ Like a war, for example.

Anna rolls her eyes and flicks the end of her tail at him. _(This started long before the war, little one. You can’t use that as an excuse.)_

 _(I’ve been busy before that too.)_ He looks away, glaring off into the dark of the deep. Castiel doesn’t want to mention the issues he had with his own puberty and the decisions he made to keep himself from feeling bad for not being _normal_ – for not feeling the same things that everyone else was.

She snorts and swims around him in a quick circle, her thoughts teasing. _(Oh please, little one, explain to me how you were **so busy** before this war.)_

 _(How do you think I managed to be a garrison leader so young?)_ It’s a valid point and he makes it while turning his back to her. He starts swimming away, heading back towards his garrison. They need to be filled in on the new plan and training is going to have to stop for the time being.

If he was going completely by the scalding touch of her thoughts, Castiel would think that Anna almost sounds insulted. _(Excuse me. But I’m a leader too!)_

_(Yes, but you became one **two seasons** after me.)_

She catches up to him if only to punch him on the arm for that, as if it’s somehow his fault that he worked harder than her to achieve his position. He had no other options. Castiel had to throw himself into his training and his career as a warrior to distract himself and anyone else from the fact that he had absolutely no interest in females. It’s a dark secret that he has buried deep inside him and he’s never revealed it to anyone – not even his closest siblings.

Anna’s garrison isn’t in the same direction as Castiel’s, but she continues following him anyways. After a stretch of silence, she cuts in front of him and forces him to a stop. _(Be honest with me, Castiel. Do you think the plan is good? You, Michael and Lucifer, you’re all going to be there. You’re my family and I want to know that you’ll be safe.)_

Castiel reaches out to her for a hug and she folds against his chest with a sigh. _(Yes, I think the plan is a strong one. And you need to be strong too. We’re trusting in you and Kali to keep the trench and the rest of our colony safe during the meeting.)_ He has no doubts that Anna and her garrison will fight to the last warrior and protect their home better than any of the other garrisons could.

Worry still floods the kin-connection, stemming straight from Anna’s mind. He does his best to stem it. _(We’ll be just outside our boundaries. If we have Bartholomew and his garrison hidden behind our lines and amongst the rocks, they should be largely unnoticed while still remaining within the kin-connection. We can call to them for aide without issue.)_

That seems to do the job, but Castiel still dwells on the rest of the plan. It will be him, Naomi, and Azriel who will be accompanying the Council as their guards. Balthazar happens to be under Azriel’s command and Castiel is thankful for that. Her garrison happens to be the one where all the scouts are grouped, which means the lot of them will be grouped into pairs and patrolling as much of the colony boundaries as they can manage. They’ll be pulled in tighter than the actual boundary lines, but it’s just to keep an eye out in case the meeting is meant as a distraction for the fang-fin divisions to attack from behind.

Roughly a handful of Castiel’s warriors will be taken from his garrison to pad the ranks of Azriel’s. Naomi’s garrison will be doing the same. One of their main concerns is keeping the trench safe. After that, it’s protecting Michael, Lucifer, and Raphael. All three are very capable warriors, but none of them trust the fang-fin Council members not to bring more than just their three guards too. And if they do that, they’ll find themselves facing no less than _three_ bright-fin garrisons.

Both Castiel’s garrison and Naomi’s will be waiting nearby. They won’t be with Bartholomew because that many bright-fin in one area will be far more noticeable. At best, Castiel figures they’ll probably be out of echo range high above them. They’ll have the open ocean weighing on their heads. Why not use it to their advantage? As long as the fang-fin aren’t doing the same, of course.

In any case, no matter what the fang-fin Council tries to pull, the bright-fin will be ready. Castiel is actually proud of his Council for coming up with this plan. They have enough back up that they could contend with the entire fang-fin army if they tried to attack. And if they did, half that army – the rebels – would turn on the others. Even without talking with Dean first, Castiel knows that he’ll have something prepared for this. The rebels will have plans of their own.

Despite that, Castiel would _really_ like to speak with Dean beforehand. He wants to make sure that the rebels will be prepared. And the best way to do that would to keep them up to date on what the bright-fin will be doing. They should share their plans to make sure they overlap and cover any and all blind spaces that they might have. If only Castiel could talk to Dean about it. He would know all the plans, just like Castiel does.

Dean remains on his mind even after he bids Anna farewell and they return to their own garrisons. Castiel wants to know for certain that Dean will be ready for tomorrow. Will he even be there? Part of Castiel hopes that he will, and part of him hopes that he won’t be. What if some colony members who have sustained personal losses because of what Dean used to do end up not caring that he’s a rebel? It doesn’t matter how hard Dean is worked to try and make up for all that he did before he learned the truth. Someone is going to want their revenge, and they might use the confusion of the biggest battle yet to take it.

Or they always run the chance that the bright-fin warriors might not recognize any of the rebels. They never discussed any way for them to distinguish friend from foe on the battlefield like that. Not really, at least. They’ve just been going by who is and isn’t actually trying to kill them when fighting so far. That might work this time, but maybe not. There are going to be _way_ more fang-fin and bright-fin present for this battle – if it happens. It will be all too easy to get confused. Everyone will likely just be lashing out at anything different from themselves.

Castiel resolves to do his best between now and tomorrow to spread the word that if a fang-fin attack _does_ happen, then they need only fight the fang-fin that are actually trying to hurt them. Anyone else should be left alone. They’ll likely be fighting their own people too, so that should make them easier to pick out from the others. He’ll have to pick out some messengers from his garrison to spread the message to the others.

This is the only thing Castiel can do to try and keep Dean safe – or rather, saf _er_. There is no keeping him completely safe on a battlefield. But if he is there then Castiel will absolutely be fighting at his side – which isn’t something he ever thought he’d do. And if need be, he will defend Dean for bright-fin and fang-fin alike. His first priority will be making sure that Michael and Lucifer are safe. After them, Dean will be his next concern.

Somewhere deep inside, Castiel knows that his priorities are skewed. Dean should not be above the safety of his own garrison, or even the safety of his people. But Castiel knows that if Dean were in danger, he would drop everything to help him.

And that says something about Castiel that he doesn’t want to focus on too closely. Not right now. Not when there’s so much else to be worried about. He’ll save that for something to think about later.

 _Much_ later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Dreams to Act time! Please [show your support to Amanda](http://secretly-jensen.tumblr.com/post/137814008146/dreams-to-acts-nicaragua-2016-amanda) and help her raise money to attend Nicaragua 2016. Check out that link for some donation rewards that she has!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(I suppose that could be true.)_ Alistair’s thoughts feel slimy even without any emotion attached to them. (This **has** been a long time coming, hasn’t it?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)
> 
> I can't write a battle to save my life so enjoy this anti-climactic crap I fought with for _weeks_. I am so sorry.

The night has never felt so long to Castiel before. He barely gets any sleep, though that’s no surprise to anyone. Very few members of the colony get any rest that night. Everyone is too busy making preparations and ensuring that all the warriors are informed and ready to be where they need to be come meeting time. It would have been better for everyone to be well rested, but tensions are running high. They only had a day to get everyone into place and some _proper_ planning to be made.

Castiel trusts his Council and his colony. He trust Dean and the rebels. But there’s so much that can go _wrong_ with tomorrow and his nerves stay jittery the whole night. It’s honestly surprising to find that, come morning, he hasn’t tossed and turned himself right out off his sleep shelf to sink. It’s surprising that he got any sleep at all, really – though restless it may have been. Anna was the one who insisted that he at least _try_ and get some sleep. How she managed to get any herself is completely beyond him.

When morning comes, it is both a blessing and a curse. Castiel is a tumult of emotions that leave him feeling ridiculously conflicted. There’s a flipping feeling in his belly that could be joy over the possibility that this could be the last day of the war. But then his chest feels tight, like his ribs are squeezing the water from his lungs. What if this is the last day because they _lose_? What if the fang-fin Council is better prepared? What if Castiel ends up watching his brothers _die_?

Thoughts like that make his throat close up. For the life of him, he can’t bring himself to even _think_ of food. It’s terrible of him, but he skips breakfast. Even the thought of chewing on some kelp to help calm his stomach makes it turn in on itself in an unpleasant manner. He must be looking green around the gills by the time he manages to make his way to the Council auditorium. The only ones there this early in the morning are the Council and Castiel is the first of the guards to arrive.

 _(Hey, Cassie.)_ Gabriel abandons all sense of protocol and swims over to sling an arm around Castiel’s shoulder. _(How’d you sleep?)_

 _(Poorly.)_ He leans into the half-hug, desperate for any form of contact from family. _(I am not looking forward to today.)_ Too many of the fin-kin he cares for will be – or _might_ be – at this meeting and he hates this feeling of dread lurking in the pit of his stomach. His sword and dagger have never weighed more heavily on his hips than they do right now.

Gabriel gives his shoulders a squeeze. _(You’re not alone there, little bro.)_

Castiel isn’t expecting Anna and Balthazar to show up before Azriel and Naomi even arrive, though he should have. No words need to be spoken between them at that point. They’ve come to wish their family good luck. Half their family is going to this meeting and Castiel hopes that this isn’t the last time that he’s going to see any of them.

The water in the trench feels thicker than usual this morning. A heavy pall is cast over the colony. Castiel’s family isn’t the only one saying goodbye today. When a song of hope starts ringing through the trench, he adds his voice to the choir. It’s a prayer to Mother-sea, asking for the safe return of her bright-fin children from this meeting. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the fang-fin Council only want to meet to _talk_.

There is little comfort to be found in having the song follow them when they leave the trench. Castiel swims ahead of the Council members. Azriel is above them and Naomi watches their tails. It’s mostly out of habit than anything else. The swim to the meeting place is completely uneventful – especially since they’re arriving early. It’s no surprise that the fang-fin are nowhere in sight when they get there.

As the Council gets settled, Castiel probes as far as he can into the dark of the deep with his echoes to check that no one might be spying on them. Aside from the usual fish life of the area, there’s nothing else around. While he monitors for the fang-fin approach, the other guards make sure that the two garrisons that had followed them from above can’t be seen in their echoes. Naomi and Azriel vary the heights they float at while they call echoes upwards, just to err on the side of caution.

Their backup garrisons are so far upwards that the kin-connection with them is stretched thin. Castiel can barely hear Bartholomew’s garrison either. But they don’t need to talk _too_ much. Luckily they don’t need to speak with them too much. The only conversation that needs to pass between them is the call for aid if – and _when_ – the fang-fin betray them. If they ever show up, that is.

Castiel counts the moments when midday comes and goes. His heart is stuttering heard in his chest and he’s certain that it’s going to stop because of these nerves of his. He can’t fathom how anyone hasn’t picked it up on their echoes yet. And it feels like he might be the only one feeling like this. Lucifer, Michael, and Raphael are all deep in conversation with each other and they all seem fairly calm themselves. Their guards, Castiel included, circle the meeting area on active guard duty, keeping an eye out for when the other Council will arrive.

_(They’re here!)_

Naomi is the first to spot the fang-fin. She turns sharply to place herself to Lucifer’s right and just behind him. Azriel twists to turn and take her place in line with Naomi, though on Raphael’s left. Castiel stops directly between Michael and the approaching fang-fin. He refuses to move from this spot, even as a shiver crawls across his skin. Watching the fang-fin enter the halo of the bright-fin’s combined glow is terrifying. They glide just like sharks and the movement is one Castiel is deeply ingrained to fear.

Three of their Council is there again. Castiel recognizes Alistair, Lilith, and Abaddon from the first meeting and from the many times that Dean has shared their faces during their countless conversations. To one side of them is a small fang-fin female with yellow hair that Castiel has never seen before. She must be one of their guards. The other guard swims along their other side and, to Castiel’s delight – and his horror, it’s Dean.

Part of him is happy to have Dean there. At some point, Dean’s company became a comfort to Castiel. He doesn’t know when, but having a friend next to him during what is sure to be another battle is more than he can ask for right now. But the other part of him is _very_ unhappy to see Dean swimming next to the Council. When the fighting undoubtedly starts, now Castiel is going to have to be worried about _his_ safety too. He had been hoping that this wouldn’t happen.

None of his thoughts show on his face and neither are they shared in the kin-connection. His allies wouldn’t care that he is worried about the safety of a fang-fin he has publicly declared as a friend. But his enemies know of Castiel’s history of often fighting with Dean on the battlefield. He needs to maintain that act so the fang-fin Council doesn’t suspect them now that they can see how they interact in person.

With some difficulty, Castiel refrains from making the kin-connection with Dean upon seeing him. There is every possibility that the Council might notice the addition of his presence in Dean’s mind. It doesn’t happen often, but if Dean’s mind isn’t closed tight – or if they’re monitoring him closely – No. There’s too much risk there and Castiel won’t make the attempt. Especially since, with every moment that passes, he is fairly certain that Dean is holding back from making the kin-connection too.

To the untrained eye, Castiel hopes that it looks like neither one of them knows the other more than they should from the many battles they’ve fought against one another during the course of the war. He only adds to the illusion by flaring his fans in a sign of aggression and baring his fangs. Thankfully, Dean seems to follow his lead. His hand goes to his sword and he snarls at Castiel in return. He even moves forward, as if they’re just moments from starting to circle each other.

Before that happens, the kin-connection is apparently made between the Councils. Just as before, the guards aren’t included. And, just like last time, the bright-fin share all communication with their guards. Michael’s consideration is the only reason Castiel knows what is being said when Lilith holds her hand out in front of Dean. _(I know Swirly-blue is your mortal enemy and all that, but try to keep a level head, won’t you? This is supposed to be a **peaceful** meeting, remember?)_

There are no emotions tied to her thoughts and it’s just as chilling as the first time Castiel felt it – even though it’s through his brother. That’s a lie through and through, and nothing and no one will ever convince him otherwise.

He has to force himself to look like he’s holding himself back when Michael puts a hand on his shoulder. _(She’s right. Contain yourself, Castiel. Green-eyes isn’t here for a fight right now.)_

May Mother-sea bless his brother. Michael has the wits not to use Dean’s name and his emotions are just as contained as the fang-fin’s are. Castiel’s pride in him is short lived as Abaddon throws her head back with a laugh. Her red hair fans out around her head like a premonition for the blood that will be spilled here today.

Abaddon’s thoughts come without any form of amusement. _(Do you hear that, Dean? They call you **green-eyes**! How hilarious is that?)_

The only response that Castiel can see is Dean’s grimace. If he speaks, none of the bright-fin are privy to it. Dean looks like Castiel is feeling; tense and trying to act like he’s making an effort to calm down. Regardless, he remains on defense. This is still a _war_ , no matter how “peaceful” this meeting is supposed to be. Castiel is sure the fang-fin can forgive him that – and how he refuses to move from between the two Councils. This is his defensive position and he’s going to hold it.

Dean and the small-blonde are in similar positions to Azriel and Naomi. But Castiel doesn’t see the third guard that the fang-fin are supposed to have. He marks it as odd and notifies the others – including those on the very edges of the kin-connection. It’s Castiel’s job to make sure that everyone is informed and he’ll do it to the best of his ability. Naomi gets tasked with the job of keeping an eye out for the third guard. It’s possible that one might never show up, but one could also be here already and they might just not see them. Which causes quite the problem for the bright-fin. An untracked fang-fin might find their hidden garrisons and report it. Then everything will go wrong and quickly.

Michael is the first to broach actual conversation with the fang-fin Council. _(I would like to extend our gratitude for your acceptance of this meeting. Whatever the reason for your change of heart, we are glad to finally get to speak with you again. There is a much needed conversation between our two Councils that needs to be had.)_

 _(I suppose that could be true.)_ Alistair’s thoughts feel slimy even without any emotion attached to them. _(This **has** been a long time coming, hasn’t it?)_

Both Lilith and Abaddon huff silent laughter through their gills at that. Castiel’s eyes narrow and he forces his fans from spreading as a reaction. He can practically taste their betrayal on the water. It’s just a matter of moments before they flat out tell them that this whole meeting is a trap. And Castiel is fairly certain that Dean is trying to communicate that to him now. Everything that Castiel knows about Dean is telling him this – including his own instincts.

Since they arrived, Dean hasn’t taken his eyes off Castiel. He only knows this because he’s been watching Dean too. His echoes watch everyone, but Castiel sees everything about Dean in the combined glow of six bright-fin. And because he hasn’t looked away from Dean, Castiel notices whenever Dean’s eyes shift. They don’t move to look at anyone else. Every glance Dean makes is into the darkness of the deeps off to Castiel’s right.

That too is odd. Nothing should be out that way. Bartholomew’s garrison is behind them. Naomi’s garrison and Castiel’s own are above them. No one should be in the direction that Dean is looking in. As far as Castiel’s echoes can tell him, no one is. But all of his echoes are aimed ahead of him and he can’t risk turning his head to call out in that direction without being overly obvious of it. For the same reasons he’s not even able to tell Naomi to check in his stead.

Castiel is so focused on what Dean is doing that he doesn’t pay any sort of attention to the conversation After Dean repeats the subtle gesture a total of seven times, Castiel turns his attention to Lucifer. Michael and Raphael are in the process of making some kind of small talk and Lucifer is the only one free to speak with at the moment.

 _(I have reason to believe that Dean is trying to warn us that one or more of the fang-fin divisions are gathering to the right of us.)_ He pauses as another thought occurs to him. _(Or possibly behind the fang-fin. It’s hard to tell when he’s trying to communicate this with just a glance.)_

Lucifer’s already grim thoughts grow darker. _(I have the feeling that things are about to get dicey, Castiel. Be ready for anything.)_

His hands curl into fists and his claws press painfully into his palms. _(You too, brother.)_

Despite knowing that this was always going to be the outcome of the meeting, a very small part of him had hoped that the fang-fin truly wanted nothing more than to talk with them. He knows he was wrong, but still. Castiel couldn’t help having that tiny spark of _hope_ flickering in his chest. Now it’s gone out completely and he can do nothing but inform the others to ready themselves too. All Castiel has to do now is wait for Dean to give him another signal or for everything to go to hell – a term that he has never used lightly before.

If his heart rate wasn’t already racing, it would definitely have started when Castiel notices Dean’s expression grow hard. It’s just a simple movement of the skin around his eyes going tight and the way he clenches his jaw, but the meaning is obvious. In his echoes, Castiel notices that the small-blonde fang-fin on the other side of the Council puts her hand on the hilt of the sword hanging from the kelp belt around her hips.

 _(We see it.)_ Naomi speaks before Castiel can bring the movements to their attention. _(Let them do their worst. We’re ready.)_

They may be, but Castiel is not. Neither Naomi nor Azriel have two brothers and one of their best friends – surprisingly – here right now. Of course, they likely have family in at least one of the waiting garrisons, but they’re not _here_. They’re not in the most danger they can possibly be in. Castiel’s own life doesn’t even matter to him anymore as long as he can protect those he cares about and keep them from harm.

To his surprise, the touch of another mind starts pressing against his own. His fans flare slightly in surprise before he manages to stop himself. That seems to be enough of a warning for the others. The kin-connection lights up with their surprise. Castiel tries to pass it off as readjusting his floating position, but he’s not sure if it’s very convincing. He knows that _extremely persistent_ touch. It’s all too familiar and he links his mind to Dean without any further hesitation.

But apparently that wasn’t quick enough for Dean’s liking. Castiel jerks back in surprise when Dean snarls. He draws his sword in a quick moment and slashes to his right. In the same instance, the Council and the other guard lurch forward as one. All of them pull up sharply and dart to their right at Dean’s outburst. Lilith just barely dances out of the jagged, filed edge of his stone sword. The kin-connection is completely unnecessary to feel or understand the shock the fang-fin Council is currently feeling.

Dean darts forward ahead of them and makes  a sharp turn immediately, placing himself between the bright-fin and his own Council. _(No!)_

Alistair’s entire body goes rigid and his face hardens over. _(What are you **doing** , Dean?)_

His thoughts are shared to Castiel from Dean. The bright-fin Council aren’t being included in this particular conversation. He makes it his duty to share it with the others, including what Dean says next.

 _(I’m doing what I should have done when I first found out what lying **shit bags** you really are.) _Dean growls deep in his throat and makes another slash with his sword. _(The bright-fin never declared war against us. It was all **you**.)_

Castiel nearly starts in surprise again when Dean’s thoughts take a private turn and focus solely on him. _(I couldn’t talk to you before. I’m pretty sure they were really fucking suspicious of me.)_

 _(I’m not surprised. This isn’t exactly subtle, Dean.)_ Castiel lets his fond feelings colour his words, trying to ease a little of the tensions. It might still be possible that they could _talk_ their way out of an all out battle between their colonies today.

His little attempt at gaiety does nothing for Dean. _(Not a time for jokes right now, Cas. There are two divisions behind us. To the left and the right, and none of them are our rebels.)_ Dean’s grip on his sword tightens and his tail cuts the water under him, making him bob in place. _(They left mine and the other at camp. I’m pretty damn sure that they suspect them.)_

 _(And not you?)_ Would they have bothered to bring Dean if they suspected him?

 _(Well **now** they do.) _ Dean huffs a loud breath through his gills and snarls. _(If it helps, I told Sam to get all the rebels ready. They’re waiting above us for my command – and I’ll probably be giving that pretty damn soon, I think.)_

Castiel takes hold of the kin-connection and sifts through it for the distant feel of Uriel. _(If you haven’t found them already, Dean’s brother and the rest of the rebels are supposed to be up there too. Do not attack them. Be ready for our command to come down for battle.)_

Uriel’s thoughts come strained by distance, but he sends his acknowledgement. _(They must be further behind their Council. We’re haven’t seen them yet. If we do, we’ll await your word.)_

Further conversation is impossible. Michael makes a gesture with his hand. It’s a predetermined one they decided upon yesterday. As one, Castiel, Naomi and Azriel all draw their swords and daggers. Michael’s thoughts are deadly calm as he speaks to fang-fin Council. _(Would you care to explain what’s happening, Abaddon? Lilith? Alistair?)_ He looks from one to the other as he poses his question.

Abaddon’s upper lip draws back to bare her fangs. _(It seems we have a traitor in our midst.)_ Her tail whips like Dean’s and she wavers back and forth.

Lilith is the same, though she doesn’t bob in place nearly as much as the others. Her hands cut back and forth to tread the water. _(You’re going to defend **them** , Dean?) _She flexes her fingers like she’s itching to take strips out of Dean’s scales for his supposed betrayal. _(After all we’ve given you?)_

For the first time since the meeting started, a fang-fin shares their emotions. The amusement that colours Dean’s thoughts is dark and empty. _(This Council stole my family’s status from me in the first place. And then you brought **war** to a colony that wanted nothing but peace with us. I love a good fight as much as the next fang-fin, but not like **this**.)_

The kin-connection opens wide in a heartbeat, filled to the brim with nothing but Dean’s hateful rage. _(You really thing I give a **shit** about you right now? **Fuck** no. I’ll see you all dead before I ever even **think** about fighting for you again.)_

Silence follows his bitter laced statement.  Castiel is almost certain that the fang-fin Council is just going to attack rather than try for further discussion. He’s proven wrong when Alistair shakes his head slowly. _(You’re going to regret this, Dean.)_

A burst of protective anger pulses in Castiel’s chest and he arcs forward without a second thought to place himself at Dean’s side. His words are fed through Dean and to the Council, but their bite is not lost. _(I believe you will find that it is **you** who will be the ones regretting your actions today. I would suggest calling off the two divisions you have behind you. They are extremely outmanned.)_

With three full garrisons on their side and two fang-fin divisions full of rebels, Castiel knows without a doubt that they have the upper hand. Whether they can put it to proper use and avoid combat is another thing altogether – and highly unlikely. He can only hope that the Council will heed his warning. And by using the fang-fin word for a garrison, he has thrown his lot in with Dean. Come what may, this is where he wants to be. All three of the Council members share a look with one another at his terminology. Castiel doesn’t doubt that he’s shocked them.

Abaddon is the first to turn her frigid gaze to Dean again. _(I see that you’ve made yourself a **friend**.)_

Dean’s immediate response, yet again, is to snarl at them. His arm snaps out and he drives his elbow into Castiel’s chest. It forces him back and behind Dean. Nothing is said specifically, but Castiel knows that he is being pushed back into a place where he can be protected. But Dean won’t say anything to protect him. If he did, it would make it all the more obvious that he is protecting Castiel – and that would make him a target.

 _(My Council.)_ Castiel addresses Raphael, Lucifer, and Michael without looking over his shoulder. _(I have a surprise for you.)_ He shares with them an image of a trio of rocks that mark the three points over an area just below them.

Yesterday evening, before he had settled down on his sleep shelf for the night, Castiel had made a quick journey to this meeting place. By way of their customs, the bright-fin Council do not bring weapons with them. Since he holds no trust in the fang-fin Council and he shows it with the three swords her buried in the sand here. The moment he shares that image, all three of them dive to dig up the weapons.

 _(You’ll get a lecture for this later, Castiel.)_ Raphael scolds him in the same thought that he thanks him. His brothers are much the same, though Lucifer praises him on his preparedness .

Giving his brothers weapons is one of the few ways Castiel can help to protect them as they seem set on being a part of this battle. But now he has no way to protect Dean aside from his words. _(Don’t worry about me. You’re the one who needs to be careful. As a traitor, you’re going to be their first target.)_

Dean hesitates before answering, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. His thoughts are strained to the point that Castiel might think that he’s embarrassed. _(I’d rather keep them off of you.)_

 _(And I would rather that they don’t hurt my favourite fang-fin.)_ Castiel retaliates, his nose crinkling with his determination.

Now might not be the time to let Dean know that his actions are winning him over, but Castiel is quite close to actually forgiving him for all that he’s done. If they win this war, the lives Dean took won’t come back, but he has worked hard to try and make up for the wrongs he’s done. They’re wrongs that he did while he was being fooled by the Council they’re facing down at this very moment. They’re on the brink of battle and Dean should at least know this – in case Castiel doesn’t have the option of telling him later.

Surprise lances through the kin-connection. Castiel’s words were, apparently, unexpected. So much so that Dean makes the mistake of looking over his shoulder at him, eyes wide. It’s just the moment the fang-fin Council was waiting for. Michaels’ shout of warning in the kin-connection sparks Dean and Castiel to roll away from each other. Dean avoids Alistair’s lunge entirely before meeting him head to head with fangs bared and weapons ready.

A blur of red and yellow flashes past in Castiel’s peripherals and he focuses just long enough to see Lucifer facing off against Lilith. He casts about with his echoes, trying to pinpoint where everyone is. Michael appears to be taking on the small-blonde female with Raphael at his side. She’s quick and the only thing letting them keep up with her movements is the bright-fin’s inherent agility. They seem to be holding their own against her just fine. Same for Lucifer against Lilith. Dean doesn’t look like he’s having trouble with Alistair, but – but they still need their back up!

Castiel glances upwards as he makes the wordless call for aide. Uriel acknowledges immediately, as does Bartholomew. They both note that they’re on their way in the same moment that Castiel remembers that there is a fourth enemy to be fought and he has no idea where she is. He casts around with his echoes, trying to pick out Abaddon’s shape in the pairs battling it out around him. Her claws bite through his hip before he has the chance to properly pick through the images that come back to him.

With a painful twist, Castiel turns to face her. The adipose fin is shredded where it starts at his hip, but he feels no pain when they ripple to hold him in place. Abaddon swims back and forth in front of him slowly, looking for her next opening. Now that Castiel knows she’s there, she won’t find one. Neither one of them makes the first move. His attention is split with trying to keep track of his brothers and Dean, but that becomes impossible with the bright-fin garrisons and the fang-fin divisions – both rebel and not – come together in a deafening crash of weapons and snarling.

They swim in from all sides and above. In the ensuing chaos, Abaddon darts forward and Castiel slabs her claws away with the flat of his sword. He doesn’t want to kill again, but he will obviously have to if she doesn’t give him any other choice. For now, he focuses on deflecting her attacks and dodging. Maybe he can wear her out? He’s never exhausted a fang-fin before in battle, but there’s a first time for everything. Especially when she can easily be overpowered when everyone else isn’t busy with subduing the fang-fin army.

There is a measure of satisfaction to be found, even in the middle of battle, when one gets to see firsthand the rage on the faces of the Council as they realize what’s going on. Around them bright-fin and fang-fin alike are converging on their own forces.

Dean’s dark amusement is stark in the kin-connection as he outright taunts his Council. _(I hope you didn’t think that I’m the only **traitor** you’ve got in your ranks. Otherwise this would probably be a hell of a surprise for you fuckers, huh?)_

Abaddon hesitates for a moment as she processes what’s happening around her. It’s not long enough for Castiel to gain any sort of upper hand. He doesn’t need the kin-connection to feel her rage at the betrayal. He can see it plain on her face in the light of his glow. The Council likely suspected _some_ of their colony, but probably never thought it would be so many.

She attacks again with a renewed frenzy, faster than before. Castiel keeps up well enough, but he’s only trying to hold her off until she can be as overwhelmed as her troops are. The battle is practically won already with the bright-fin and rebel forces out numbering the fang-fin loyalists five to two. But the warriors and Council alike need to surrender more than anything else – and Castiel has the sneaking suspicion that they won’t go down so easily. They need to be surrounded and made to _know_ that they have lost completely.

Castiel is confident that they’ll be able to do that soon enough. However, he is beginning to suspect that he grossly underestimated the fighting skills of the Council. Abaddon is a _vicious_ fighter. Even with a sword, Castiel is finding himself being pushed back. He’s faster and more agile than her, but she has no care or finesse. Her attacks are overpowering him with sheer strength and _crazy_. It truly is like fighting a shark and it’s giving him the same fear fueled adrenaline rush as his first time fighting one.

Despite his best attempts to find an opening to go on the offense, Castiel is forced to do nothing more than continue to deflect her attacks. Even then he’s struggling to keep up. It doesn’t help that his attention is split with trying to keep appraised of how his brothers and Dean are doing. With his life on the line like this, one would think that he’d be paying more attention to his own opponent. But his worry for their safety nags at him constantly, no matter how many scratches he sustains because of it.

Claws rake across his forearm, biting deep enough that his hand spasms with the pain and he drops his sword. He still has his dagger, but the loss of his sword strikes home the realization that he might not win this. Castiel could _die_ right here – and the thought isn’t nearly as terrifying as it should be. It’s hard to be worried for himself when he’s worried for friends and family instead. Not even the scent of his blood in the water can make him care.

This is an odd feeling. The pain in his arm burns, and yet it’s numb to him. Is it the adrenaline pumping through him? Or is it something else? Even his own thoughts feel dulled – like this isn’t really happening despite how he is fully aware that it is. This is dangerous. Castiel doesn’t even consider trying to distract anyone else from their own fight by calling out for help against her. He doesn’t _want_ to die, but he is prepared for it if he can’t hold his own against Abaddon.

The next time she darts forward for an attack, he swipes at her with the only weapon he has left – his dagger. Abaddon twists out of the way, hissing sharply as the tip of the knife catches the end of the fin on her elbow. If he’s going to die, Castiel refuses to make it _easy_ for her. Regardless of his own determination, he isn’t expecting someone else’s concern to explode in excess in the kin-connection. In the same instant, Dean crashes into Abaddon from the side.

 _(Cas!)_ He seizes at Castiel’s mind, probing it curiously. _(You okay?)_

 _(More or less.)_ Now that Dean is wrestling with Abaddon, Castiel can take a brief moment to breathe. He doesn’t plan to do it for long, as there’s no way he can let Dean fight alone right in front of him. _(What about you? Where is Alistair?)_

Dean answers with flashes of his memory. Of Sam and Bobby sweeping down from the open ocean above them. They went straight to helping Dean the moment they arrived. Ellen and Jo joined them and apparently took over fighting him. Alistair might be strong, but he can’t fight _four_ fang-fin at once. Since the auxiliary forces arrived, Dean has apparently been making his way through their fighting armies, helping anyone who seemed like they needed help.

Maybe it’s just Castiel’s imagination, but he gets the distinct feeling that Dean was searching for something with the way he had moved through the battle. His heart trips over in his chest at the idea – however unlikely it is – that Dean was _looking for him_. That’s right. It’s a ridiculous idea. Dean likely just saw that Castiel was having some difficulty and came to help him just like he did everyone else. Besides, now is _really_ not the time to think about that.

Castiel shakes the thought from his head and presses at the bleeding scratches on his arm. It’s not too bad, but he should do something about it. In this case, he quickly pulls apart his kelp belt and wraps it around his forearm. As carefully as he can, Castiel uses his teeth to help him tie it off. That will have to do for now. The scratches at his hip have stopped bleeding by now, but there’s nothing he can do to treat it at the moment.

That should be long enough for him to recover. The dulled feeling in his head has cleared and his will to fight feels renewed again. It helps that he’s watching Dean and Abaddon circle and swipe at each other. Seeing Dean fight inspires that protective feeling in Castiel again. It makes him want to help too – or better yet, take over so Dean won’t get hurt.

_(Would you like some help with her?)_

Appreciation tickles through the kin-connection as Dean twists sharply to smack Abaddon with the end of his tail. _(That’d be nice, thanks. It would kinda suck if she killed me.)_

He wishes that Dean hadn’t brought that up. It’s a terrible thing to think about and makes his stomach sink to the tip of his tail. _(I would be very sad if you died.)_

Dean’s thoughts pause for a brief moment, but he doesn’t risk looking away from his opponent. Good, he learned his lesson from before. Finally he brushes Castiel’s thoughts with a gentle, almost hesitant touch. _(If it’s any consolation, I wouldn’t mind dying at your side.)_

 _(Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.)_ The sentiment is touching and Castiel lets Dean know it with a little flash of warmth. He couples it with a hint of horror because that is one of _the_ worst outcomes of this battle and he is going to do his utmost to keep it from happening.

Before he swims forward to help take Abaddon down, Castiel glances around to see how the rest of the battle is going. From what he can tell with snatches of conversation and emotions in the kin-connection, things seem to be going rather well. The fang-fin loyalist divisions are being suppressed without much issue and it’s only the Council member and a few odd fighters here and there who are putting up the biggest fight. Everyone else can already tell that they’ve lost. It must be rather demoralizing to see that half of your own colony is fighting against you.

Castiel dives and finds his sword quickly before arcing back up. He places himself behind Abaddon, forcing her to twist and turn constantly to try and fend both him and Dean off at the same time. They chase her whenever she tries to swim away and find a better way to approach them both for a fight. Taking her on is infinitely easier with someone at his side and Castiel is happy that it’s Dean.

This is the first time they’ve ever fought _with_ each other as opposed to _against_ one another. Surprisingly, their fighting styles complement each other. Dean strikes first to distract her and Castiel follows up to inflict the damage, his sword or his dagger usually nicking her skin or scales enough to earn a hiss of pain. If one draws back, the other goes forward. They dance around each other like they’ve done this a hundred times before.

Abaddon looks none too pleased by how well they work together. Her anger is tangible in the kin-connection and it makes her attacks erratic. She’s losing this fight and she knows it. With Dean and Castiel fighting on the same side, they are unstoppable and it only becomes more apparent the longer Abaddon continues being so _stubborn_ about giving up. What Castiel is looking for is an opportunity to pin her. If they can limit her mobility, she might be more willing to admit defeat.

That moment comes when she tries to flip away from them and hit Dean with her tail. Dean rolls out of the way and Castiel slices forward with his sword. It cuts deep into the cartilage of her end fin. Abaddon seizes with the pain, hissing loudly as blood streams from the fissure in her scales. The wound won’t kill her, but she shouldn’t be able to fight with that.

Without a thought or regard for anything else, Dean darts forward. He twists around Abaddon and crashes into her from behind. Although Dean doesn’t have much momentum, his size and weight are enough to drive her down into the sand below. Abaddon struggles at first, snarling and raising a cloud of sand around her as she claws at the ground. Dean grabs her arm and twists it behind her back as he presses her face into the sand, doing his best to pin her there.

 _(That’s **enough** , Abaddon.)_ His growl is loud enough that it sends a shiver down even Castiel’s spine. _(You’ve lost. Keep fighting like this and we’re going to end –)_

Castiel puts a hand on Dean’s shoulder and squeezes. _(Don’t kill her, Dean.)_

He looks up with a snarl on his lips. _(Why not? The whole damn Council deserves it for what they’ve done to **both** our colonies.)_

Though the idea isn’t exactly unappealing and Castiel does agree that they’ve certainly caused enough death to deserve one of their own, but he can’t bring himself to do it or see it done. _(We’ve had enough death in this war already. They should face a proper trial for their crimes.)_

Dean’s upper lip curls back, as if he’s trying to smile without feeling it. _(I don’t think we have trials the same way you guys do, Cas.)_ He growls suddenly as Abaddon attempts struggling again. _(And I **really** want to kill her – kill them all.) _His bitter feelings of betrayal sear through the kin-connection again, making Castiel’s chest ache in sympathy. _(They **lied** to us for so long. We lost so many of us and you, and it’s all because of **them**. Death is the **least** of what they deserve.)_

 _(I don’t disagree, but what you’re suggesting we do is exactly what **they** would do.)_ He shakes his head and squeezes Dean’s shoulder again. _(You’re better than they are, Dean. Use this to prove it.)_

Dean’s reluctance is obvious, but he doesn’t object again. Castiel counts it as a win. He keeps his hand on Dean’s shoulder for no other reason than besides the fact that he finds it rather comforting to have a physical connection with someone in the middle of a battle. Speaking of which, Castiel glances around them to assess the situation. To his surprise, the battle looks as though it’s more or less finished.

The fang-fin loyalists have been surrounded and overpowered. They’ve been forced to sit together on rocks and sand. Many of them look confused and quite a few of them sport minor wounds of their own, but there are very few dead that Castiel can see. Even some of the bright-fin and the fang-fin rebels have wounds, but they all appear more or less okay. They may be hurt, but they all look _happy._ This is a victory and everyone knows it.

Castiel feels a pang of sadness for them and makes a mental note to sing a song in honour of the dead when he has the chance. His sadness is short lived though. It warms Castiel to his core to see smiles on the faces of fang-fin and bright-fin alike because they’ve _won_ – more or less. Victory hasn’t been fully announced yet, but he’s sure it will soon. One of the division or garrison leaders, or one of the Council members needs to be the one to declare the battle over.

With a jolt, Castiel is very much reminded that his brothers are here. He lets go of Dean’s shoulder to rise up higher and throw his echoes at most of the bodies around him. In the kin-connection, he starts sifting through the many bright-fin voices around him. Where are his brothers? He doesn’t want to have to probe at the bodies of the dead to see if his recognizes any of them. His heart won’t be able to take it.

 _(Castiel!)_ Michael’s thoughts seize at his in passing and relief washes through the kin-connection from the both of them. _(Where are you?)_

Through sharing images, they manage to find each other. Castiel has little regard for anyone who might be watching as he swims right into Michael’s arms for a crushing hug. Their back-fans fold and they’re careful not to damage the spines of them in their hug, but the hug is the priority. For the most part, Michael looks fine. There are bruises on his skin and a couple scratches on his tail, but he doesn’t seem to be in pain – which is a plus.

 _(I’m happy to see you’re alright.)_ Castiel touches one of Michael’s bruises gently before looking around. _(Have you seen Lucifer? Is he alright? What about Raphael?)_ If one of them is hurt beyond repair – or worse yet, _dead_ – then he’ll have failed as a guard. A sense of guilt rises in his belly, making his insides feel tight and sore. He should have been protecting his brothers, not Dean.

Michael shakes his head with a smile and puts both his hands on Castiel’s shoulders. _(They’re both fine. Alive and well and overseeing our forces to make sure that we’ve got all the fang-fin gathered together.)_

 _(What about the fang-fin Council?)_ Castiel glances back, calling echoes to where Dean was last. _(We have –)_ His thoughts come to an abrupt halt when he finds that Dean and Abaddon are not where he left them. Where are they? What happened while he was looking for his brothers?

He pulls away from Michael with a sharp jerk of his shoulders, twisting to start calling echoes for the familiar arc of Dean’s tail. They had been linked through the kin-connection and Castiel gropes for it through the others he’s trying to maintain. Another wave of relief hits him when he feels Dean’s mind, bright and _alive_. With a sigh, Castiel allows himself to relax just a little. He doesn’t fully relax until he sees Dean with two fang-fin he doesn’t recognize. They have another one of those linked cold metal ropes wrapped around her waist and pinning her arms to her sides. She does _not_ look happy about it.

 _(Castiel?)_ Michael brushes his shoulder with a curious touch. _(Is everything alright?)_

 _(Yes, of course.)_ For a moment there, he had thought that Abaddon had broken free from Dean. Or perhaps Dean had taken the chance to follow through on his desire to kill her. He turns back to Michael now that he’s sure Dean is fine. _(What about Lilith and Alistair?)_

Michael glances away as his mouth draws into a tight line. An unpleasant feeling sinks into the kin-connection. _(Dead. I injured their guard, but she’ll live. Lucifer killed Lilith. To my understanding, Alistair was taken down by members of his own colony.)_

Regardless of whether or not he would have preferred to leave them alive, Castiel can’t say that he feels any sadness over their deaths. That leaves one other Council member back at the fang-fin camp. He’s the one Castiel has never met, but it’s likely that he was subdued prior to the rebels following after Dean and the Council. If not, then he’ll have a nasty surprise waiting for him when his colony returns to camp.

His fans start to flex with excitement. The fang-fin Council is defeated! Dean and his brothers are alive and they’ve _won_. Does that mean the war is over too? There are still many things that they’re going to need to do after this – like figuring out what will happen with the fang-fin and where everything will go from here, but this is good. This is better than what he expected to happen today and Castiel is _extremely_ happy right now.

When Dean swims over to join them, Castiel’s mood brightens even more. They grin at each other as the realization really begins to settle in that they’ve _won_. Dean’s smile falls slightly as his attention shifts from Castiel to Michael next to him. Oh, that’s right. This would be the first time that they’ve actually met, isn’t it? Castiel has never had to introduce a friend to his family before and a thrill of excitement fills him for it.

 _(Michael, this is Dean.)_ Castiel drifts backwards so he’s not floating between them. If they don’t make a link between each other, then he’ll happily play the middle man between them in the kin-connection for the time being. _(Dean, this is one of my brothers, Michael. He’s the head of our Council and the leader of our colony.)_

Privately, Castiel gives Michael a warning. He glances at him and narrows his eyes as a partial threat. _(Dean is my **friend**. Be **nice**.)_

After a moment’s hesitation, Dean and Michael make a tentative link in the kin-connection and properly greet each other. They dip their heads in acknowledgement and Castiel’s fans flex again. He’s been waiting for a very long time to introduce Dean to his family. This isn’t the exact situation of how he thought it would happen, but this is definitely infinitely better. If he gets any more excited, he’ll end up losing his composure and swimming happy loops around them. While that might not be a _bad_ thing, it’s certainly not what anyone else needs to see right now.

 _(It’s nice to finally meet you, Dean.)_ Michael actually _smiles_ at him and Castiel could hug him for it. _(Castiel has told us much about you. I’m sorry that we didn’t meet with you or trust in you sooner. I’m sure you understand why, though.)_

Dean nods, perhaps a little harder than he should. _(Yeah, of course. Me being Green-eyes and all that probably didn’t help matters.)_ He ducks his head and rubs at the back of his neck. _(Sorry about that, by the way. If I’d known you guys were as awesome as Cas is, I never would’ve –)_

Michael raises his hand and Dean’s thoughts cut off sharply. _(It’s in the past, Dean. As is this war, hopefully. Now we only have need of moving forward.)_

Castiel touches Michael’s thoughts in their private link with a gentle appreciation. _(Thank you.)_

What he said isn’t exactly forgiveness, or excusing Dean’s actions up until he learned what was going on, but it’s plenty more than Dean was likely expecting to get. Sure enough, the private link that Castiel shares with him is practically trembling with relief. He can’t imagine what kind of fear Dean might have had about how he would be treated now that the war has been won. Was he worried that the Council would hate him? Or that they might seek revenge for the lives that he took?

He would inquire further on the matter, but Bobby takes that moment to swim up to them. Without thinking, Castiel reaches for his mind to bridge the kin-connection with him too. Though he may be linked with his own colony, Dean is the only rebel that Castiel is linked to. They share a brief greeting between them, but Bobby’s attention is focused on Dean.

 _(You should go find your brother, boy.)_ His thoughts carry a heavy weight to them that pitches Castiel’s stomach to the ocean floor.

Dean’s mind explodes with concern, wiping out every other emotion that he had been sharing with Castiel. _(What happened? Where is he?)_

Bobby gestures back over his shoulder. _(He got hurt. He’ll live, but I figured you’d wanna know about it. And he’s gonna want to know that you’re okay too.)_

Without further thought, Dean swims off and Bobby follows after him again. Castiel lurches forward to go with them before he stops himself and turns to Michael. _(Dean’s brother has been hurt. He’s also a friend of mine. Do you mind if –)_

 _(Go ahead, Castiel.)_ Michael smiles and gestures at him to go. _(I’m going to find Lucifer and Raphael. We have much to discuss, I believe.)_ He looks towards the large group of fang-fin kept seated by the dome of rebels and bright-fin. _(I believe they’re over there and organizing the fang-fin’s surrender, more or less. I’ll stay in touch with you, just in case we need you again.)_

He nods and fills the kin-connection with his thanks as he heads off after Dean and Bobby. Castiel actually ends up swimming past Raphael on his way. He’s appears to be in deep conversation with the other garrison leaders. From his echoes alone, Castiel can see that one of his eyes is closed, a scratch going straight over it. Hopefully his sight isn’t completely damaged. At least he’ll still have his echoes. Castiel touches his thoughts briefly to let him know that Michael is looking for him, but he doesn’t stick around for further conversation.

Despite how he doesn’t know Sam nearly as well as he’s come to know Dean, Castiel is still very concerned for him. Sam was one of the first fang-fin to speak to him. They’re still friends, to whatever extent, and Castiel is rather worried about his wellbeing. He hopes whatever wounds Sam sustained aren’t too horrible. Bobby _did_ say that he would live, after all.

* * *

If Dean thought he had been worried about Cas when it came to seeing Abaddon completely dominating that fight, then Dean has no words for how fucking freaked out he is that _Sam_ got hurt. It was a possibility – Hell, it’s _always_ a possibility in their day to day lives because they’re fucking fang-fin and they’re crazy as shit when it comes to a fight. But Sam’s never _really_ been hurt before. A couple scratches here and there, but nothing _major_.

Now the swim to finding him has Dean’s head full of all sorts of shit that could have happened to him. Would they be able to save him if he lost an arm? That’s pretty damn unlikely on all accounts, but _still_. Did any of his fins get fucked up? Is he never going to be able to swim properly for the rest of his life? If that’s the case, then Dean is more than willing to take care of him. Sam will never go hungry as long as Dean is around. And if Jess doesn’t want a mate with a cripple, Dean will understand. She needs a strong mate who can hunt for her when she’s too heavy with eggs during the mating season to do it herself.

It doesn’t take long for Dean to Sam’s mind in the kin-connection. He’s still bright and alive as always, and Dean doesn’t remember hearing anything from him about being in pain during the battle – as short lived as it was. Since this war started, they’ve never had a battle end so quickly. Apparently numbers make all the distance and he’s never been happier than he is now for how hard the others worked to open the eyes of so many fang-fin. If they didn’t have as many rebels as they did, they probably would have lost a lot more bright-fin and fang-fin alike.

Dean tries really hard not to notice how many fin-kin are wounded. It’s a pretty small number compared to the usual, but he’s gotta stay focused on Sam. It’s not exactly a hard thing to do, but still. And then Cas is on his tail and he’s radiating concern and holy shit that is more awesome than it should be. He never thought that he’d feel a bright-fin actually _worry_ about a fang-fin, but it’s happening. Hell, that was happening in the middle of battle with Cas and _him_.

How hilarious is that? A bright-fin – _Cas_ – was worried about Dean, goddamn _Green-eyes_ of all things. And don’t even get Dean started on that shit Cas said before the Council struck. Those words are still reverberating in his head. Like, what the _fuck_. Okay, so. Long story short, they’re friends and Cas doesn’t want Dean to die. That’s totally understandable and it should, in no way, be making Dean’s heart skip a couple fucking times in his chest.

He shoves those thoughts right out of his head when he finally finds  Sam. The big dumb idiot is sitting on a rock with a good bite taken out of his shoulder. It’s bleeding a bunch, but he looks otherwise fine. Jess is already on the case with a shell full of salve. That paste is thick enough that it’ll stop the bleeding and speed the healing. She’s got a couple scratches too, but the both of them look fun. It’s nothing life threatening or debilitating and _fuck_ Bobby for making Dean think that it was.

 _(You’re a fucking dick.)_ He turns to Bobby with a glare. _(Next time tell me what kind of wound it is before I worry myself into a heart attack or something.)_

Bobby just shrugs. He pats Sam on his good shoulder and takes off again – probably off to check on Ellen and Jo. Oh the woes of being a family man. Dean’s pretty happy that Bobby made it through all this too. He’s got more scars since they started, of course, but so has basically everyone else. What matters is that they’re alive and their colony is going to be better for this now. Things are definitely going to change for them now and he has no idea how it’s going to happen, but the Council is _done_ and that alone is a big fucking thing.

With a loud sigh, Dean signs down to flop across the rock next to Sam. He rests his chin on it and closes his eyes, letting himself _breathe_ for the first time since they left the camp earlier. _(You’re losing your touch, you guys. You went and got **hurt**.)_

 _(I don’t know if you noticed, but it got a little crazy out there for a bit.)_ Sam huffs and puts a hand on Dean’s back to give him a little shove. The little liar is trying to pass it off like he’s not using a little physical touch to reassure him that Dean is alive too. _(While you were focusing on **one** opponent, we had our own colony kin to take on.)_

Augh, why did Sam have to remind him of that? Dean has no problem fighting the dickheads in their colony. But there were still a lot of the colony who had _no_ idea what was going on. They’re probably super fucking confused right now. In fact, he’s kind of pointedly been ignoring the area where the non-rebels are sitting. Dean’s a goddamn _division captain_ and he was fighting for the bright-fin. Chances are, a lot of those guys are feeling super betrayed right now and it’s because they don’t know that their Council were all around _terrible_ fang-fin.

He frowns and glances over to throw a couple echoes out at the colony. Shit, they look pretty freaked out, from what he can tell. Dean cautiously touches the colony-connection, just to see what the general consensus is right now. It’s basically exactly what he expected. Half of them are scared, the other half confused. There are a couple angry ones mixed in too, and those are the ones who were probably more loyal to the Council than anyone else. Dean wouldn’t put it past them to have been in on the whole thing too – probably.

_(I’m glad to see you’re both alright, Sam. Jess.)_

May Mother-sea bless Cas forever. Just feeling his thoughts in the kin-connection is enough to make Dean relax a little bit. He lets just a little of his appreciation for Cas’s care touch the edges of his mind. The fact that he actually cares about what happens to Dean’s baby bro makes his insides feel all sorts of warm and mushy. It’s gross, but awesome at the same time – especially since Dean can’t remember the last time he felt like this just from someone _talking_.

 _(You too, Cas.)_ Sam honestly does sound happy to see that Cas is okay too. _(We brought more salve if you want some for your arm there.)_

Arm? Dean turns onto his side to take a look at what Sam is talking about. Cas has a makeshift kelp bandage wrapped around his forearm. Oh fuck, that’s right. Abaddon scratched him good. Dean saw it happen and it had made his blood boil. It’s like the scent of Cas’s blood is stuck in his nose. He can practically _taste_ it and it makes Dean want to gag. Out of everyone here, it’s his odd little family and Cas that Dean never wants to have to smell their blood ever again.

 _(No, thank you.)_ Cas puts a hand over the bandage. To his credit, he doesn’t wince. _(It’s fine. Save that salve for the ones who really need it.)_ He looks towards the shell of rebels and bright-fin floating above and around the remains of the fang-fin army. _(Sharing it with them might help them see that you’re not against **them** , per se. You will have to explain things to them eventually, though.)_

Dean gets a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach when both Jess and Sam turn to look at him. Are they fucking crazy? Did they get hit in the head while they were fighting? _(No.)_

Jess reaches behind Sam to touch Dean’s shoulder gently. _(Someone needs to tell them what’s happening and why. They know nothing right now.)_

He turns to look away from both of them, and from Cas too. He just _had_ to go and bring that up, didn’t he? _(They’re not going to want it hear it from me.)_

Eve and Abaddon probably already spread the rumours that Dean instigated the whole thing or something. Who knows what kind of shit Abaddon managed to spread before Dean told Isaac and Tamara to take her away with the metal rope. Kevin, Ash and Charlie were supposed to make sure that Eve went too. He just wants them as far away from the colony as possible so neither of them can keep telling everyone their lies.

 _(You’re a division captain, Dean.)_ Sam points out like it’s the simplest thing in the ocean. _(The Council is officially out of Commission. You and Victor are some of the only ones they can look to right now.)_

Dean snorts a laugh so hard that his nose actually hurts from it. _(Are you kidding me right now, Sammy? I’m pretty damn sure that they think I’m a **traitor** right now.) _ Especially if Eve and Abaddon got their claws into them first. And it’s entirely possible that Alistair or Lilith spread more lies before they were officially taken care of – thank Mother-sea for that!

Jess swims around Sam so she can look Dean in the eye, completely defeating the whole purpose of Dean not looking at any of them. _(Then **explain** it to them.)_

 _(Yeah, no. Bobby or Ellen would be **way** better at it than me.)_ At least they weren’t at the bottom of the colony hierarchy like he was. Now everyone is just going to see him as some kind of ungrateful scumbag for what he’s done. They probably think he’s after a spot on the Council or something, like he’s trying to take over the fucking colony. Mother-sea, _no_. The last thing Dean wants to do is be in _charge_ of things.

 _(Bobby and Ellen are supposed to be heading back to camp to make sure Abaddon, Eve, and Crowley are properly secured. We thought it would be fun to put them in the same place we kept Cas for a while.)_ Sam sounds way too smug about that as he points it out.

All three of them shut up and turn to look at Cas as he lets a little bit of guilt tinge the kin-connection. He rubs a hand over the back of his neck and all of his flexy fins fold flat. _(I don’t suppose it helps matters to see that you’re swimming around with **me** at your side...)_

Something in Dean’s chest twists almost violently and he pushes himself up from the rock just to grab Cas by the shoulder and give it a good squeeze. _(Don’t say that, Cas. I’d rather have you here than anywhere else right now.)_

There’s a little flash of warmth in the kin-connection before Cas closes off that part of his mind. He still gives Dean a small smile. _(Then how about this – I’ll take care of my people if you handle your own. Does that sound like a satisfactory deal to you?)_

 _(Not really.)_ Dean crinkles his nose and slumps back to the rock again, his tail folding so he can sit properly. _(What are we supposed to do about our Council? Lilith and Alistair are dead and we’re down two members.)_

Cas’s thoughts are firm and very determined. _(It wasn’t by your hand, Dean. You’re not at fault for what happened to them.)_

 _(Alistair couldn’t be stopped.)_ Sam’s thoughts don’t even hold a smidgen of guilt, and Dean is almost proud of him for it. _(He was going for my neck when he got my shoulder. If it wasn’t for Jess’s sword in his back, I might be out a jugular here.)_

The dark, angry, _incredibly_ bitter part of Dean really does wish it had been him. That ugly part of him has been _screaming_ for him to swim to the camp right now and end Abaddon and Crowley before they can do anything to fuck things up further. He wishes it was him. No matter how much Cas tells him that he should be better than them, Dean knows he’s not. His twisted half is what let him be blind to everything in the beginning, no matter how much Sam and the others tried to tell him otherwise. The shit Dean’s done is on _him_ and no one else, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take his anger out on the bastards who put him on that path.

 _(It would have been better to leave them alive, but it was necessary.)_ Cas shrugs and gives Sam and Jess an encouraging smile. _(I’m much happier to have the both of you here and alive as opposed to him. I’ve never met him outside of these meetings, but he was a intimidating fin-kin.)_

Dean laughs again, huffing water through his gills more than anything. _(You don’t know the half of it.)_

Alistair was _terrifying_ and it is the _biggest_ weight off his shoulders that he’s gone. He never thought he’d be rid of him and he’s proud of Sam and Jess for being the ones to take that bastard down. And if it wasn’t for them taking over for him, he wouldn’t have been able to go help Cas – and _that_ is a terrifying thought. What would have happened to him if Dean hadn’t shown up to help?

He tries to be subtle about how he glances Cas over and checks out his wounds. The soft looking fin that runs along both sides of Cas’s tail is ripped at his hip. It looks a little painful and Dean can’t stop himself from reaching out and touching it gently. _(This isn’t gonna be a problem for you, is it?)_

Cas’s mind goes blank in an instant and he’s flexi-fans spread out sharply. His gills flutter slightly and the soft fins along his tail ripple a couple times. It’s an interesting reaction that piques Dean’s curiosity, but Cas ignores that in the kin-connection. After a moment, he puts his hand over Dean’s. Maybe it’s his imagination, but Cas _totally_ leaves his hand there a little longer than he should before he carefully guides it away and lets go.

Dean may or may not be a little disappointed by that, but he doesn’t let it show.

 _(I’m fine, Dean.)_ Though that’s what he says, Cas doesn’t look at him again. Is he embarrassed? That’s kind of what it’s looking like. _(But Jess is right. We both need to deal with our people.)_

Sam chooses right then to lean forward and Jess hisses at him to hold still. That doesn’t stop him from talking to Cas and taking away from this _really_ interesting moment that Dean wants to keep distracting himself with. _(The bright-fin have caves in your trench, right? You know, places where you can imprison fin-kin for a time?)_

All of Cas’s fins stop flexing so much, but he’s still very obviously not looking at Dean. _(We do.)_

 _(What if we put what’s left of our Council in there? They wouldn’t be anywhere near our colony where someone loyal to them could try and free them while we’re trying to figure out what to do with them.)_ Sam looks out at the colony, probably mentally picking through everyone he thinks would try to undo the metal rope and free Abaddon and Crowley.

Jess nods in agreement, her thoughts coloured with pride at Sam’s truly excellent suggestion. _(And Dean and Victor should explain to the rest of the colony what happened and why all of this was necessary.)_

Cas tilts his head to the side and squints out at the colonies. This is the first time in history where two almost full colonies are in each other’s presence. If any other colonies have fully met before, then Dean’s never heard of it. He’s also never met another colony before the bright-fin, so there’s not much worth to that thought, probably. Either way, this is something he’s likely never going to see again – and the everything that goes with that thought makes Dean feel dizzy in the worst way.

 _(What if someone doesn’t agree with the actions you’ve taken?)_ There he is, asking the big questions.

Dean scratches the back of his head, thinking for a second. _(Do you have the space for all of them to be put away for a bit?)_ It’s a long shot, but at least he’s contributing.

Confusion edges Cas’s thoughts. _(All of them as in ... every loyalist in your colony?)_ He still doesn’t look back at Dean. _(I don’t believe we have the space for **all** of them.)_

Without thinking, Dean reaches out and gives Cas’s shoulder a shove. He did it out of habit more than anything else, but it gets Cas looking at him again – even though it’s to squint and frown at him. _(Don’t worry about it, Cas. We’re just going to take this one bite at a time.)_ As long as it means that _he_ isn’t the one to try and explain everything to the whole damn colony.

Cas gives him a small smile and Dean has to force his gills not to flutter because of it. _(We never really thought this far ahead, did we?)_

Oh good, so Dean wasn’t the only one thinking that. _(Nah, I don’t think so.)_

Did they ever actually _plan_ what they would do if they beat the Council? If Sam and the others came up with something, it wasn’t while Dean was around. He and Cas kind of threw around a couple ideas of what they would do if things _did_ turn out alright, but it was never anything solid. They were just playing around with ideas back then. It was just stuff for them to fill in their conversations and it was never _serious_.

Mother-sea, whatever happens now, Dean is _not_ looking forward to it. Whether it’s talking to the fang-fin or having to do something entirely different, he doesn’t even fucking know. Either way, none of it sounds appealing _at all_. He isn’t supposed to be the leader of the rebels or anything like that, and he sure as hell doesn’t deserve to be called a _division captain_ anymore – if ever. That whole position feels tainted now if he stops to think about how he came about getting it in the first place.

Why do Sam and Jess want _him_ , of all fin-kin, to talk to the colony? Even the idea that he could have Victor with him while he does it doesn’t make him feel any better. It’s not like he’s actually _earned_ the position to tell them anything. He was eating out of the Council’s hand for the longest time and everyone knew it. He was their golden boy. Dean was just as big a dickbag as they were. Unlike the Council, though, Dean has a conscience and he did his best to try and fix his fuck ups. Whether he did or not still remains to be seen, though what Cas said before the battle does kind of give him some hope that he might be forgiven soon enough.

Though it would probably be kind of counterproductive, Dean would definitely prefer having _Cas_ with him than he would Victor. It’s nothing against Victor, or anything, but Dean is just better friends with Cas. He hasn’t actually gotten around to befriending Victor yet. He seems like a cool guy, so that’ll probably happen eventually. But it’s pretty hard to make friends in the middle of a war, even when they’re on your own side.

Deans sighs and rubs a hand over his face. He tries to give Cas a hopeful smile, but he’s completely destroyed by the encouraging smile Cas is giving him. His stomach twists and a lump in Dean’s throat and his heart does a weird little loop-de-loop in his chest. If he had to stop and think about it, he would say that the feeling is something like part joy and part nerves. They made it through this together and they’re both alive, so that’s awesome. But – and this is the scary part – now that things are almost done with, Dean might never see Cas again once all this shit gets sorted out.

The war is over now, right? So, why doesn’t Dean feel as happy about that as he should be?


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _(Hey, wait!)_ Jo calls after him, though she doesn’t follow. _(What good news do you have?)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Bobby and Ellen have to bodily drag Dean to where the colony is gathered. He’s given up trying to get out of this, but dammit he _really_ doesn’t want to do it. Why does _he_ have to be the one to talk to the colony? He was looked down on before he became a division leader, and now he’s the biggest traitor of them all. And he doesn’t doubt that Abaddon or Eve managed to spread all kinds of shit about what happened before they were taken away.

 _(Don’t make me do this, Bobby.)_ He might not try to physically get away, but begging is still totally an option. _(You and Ellen would be way better at this than me.)_

Both of them ignore him. Dean already spent a ton of time trying to wiggle out of it, but apparently it’s a unanimous decision. Every fucking rebel they’ve got agrees that Dean and Victor are the best choice out of everyone to tell the colony what’s _really_ going on. No amount of bargaining changed anyone’s mind. The most Dean managed to do was get Sam to agree to be right beside him while he does the stupid explaining. If he’s going to dig himself deeper into the colony’s shit list, then he might as well have his damn brother with him while he does it.

At least Sam is a comfort for him. Dean barely knows Victor, so having him there isn’t going to make this any easier. But Sam is good. Sam is _great_. After Sam, the next best comfort “object” that Dean would have is Cas. That, in its own right, is pretty fucking weird. Shouldn’t the next person in line for that be Bobby? He’s been one of the only parental figures Dean’s ever really known. But – that doesn’t change that _Cas_ is the one Dean would turn to after Sam.

Dean sighs and gives up on one more thing. Who is he trying to kid here? Himself? He likes having Cas around. Cas is a weird guy sometimes and he’s different from anyone Dean knows. But he’s fun to hang out with. A ton of fun. Dean loves spending time with him. It’s something he actually looks forward to – and he doesn’t really look forward to _anything_ nowadays. Which explains why he’s scared as fuck about the future – and part of the reason he wants to put off having this talk with the colony.

If nothing happens – if they don’t move forward from this moment – then Dean can keep seeing Cas. But that’s not going to happen. Things are going to happen now that are going to ultimately lead up to the colony having to leave this place. Leaving means no more Cas, and Dean hates that. He doesn’t want o never see Cas again. Honestly, he doesn’t want to leave here either. They’ve been here for a couple seasons and Dean is comfortable here – even if it’s been over the course of a fucking _war_. Making friends with Cas made this place feel like home, and Dean doesn’t really want to leave it.

Victor is waiting by the colony, floating above them within the guard-shell of rebels and bright-fin. Bobby and Ellen pull Dean through a break in the shell and leave him to float next to Victor. They don’t say a word to him before they join the guards. Dean knows when he’s beat, and it’s when those two are sick of his shit and stop listening to him.

In a last ditch effort to delay having to talk to the colony, Dean calls echoes around him. Sam is behind him, true to word – thank Mother-sea. He’s definitely happy for that. But Dean’s heart does a little flip in his chest when he catches a familiar form among the bright-fin guards. Honestly, he should’ve just looked for that glow. Dean could recognize Cas’s glow pattern out of a million bright-fin. They’ve still got the kin-connection between them and Cas brushes his thoughts with an encouraging touch.

Okay, fine. Dean will do this. He’s going to hate every damn moment of it, but he’s going to fucking do it. Gotta get it out of the way so he can spend the rest of his time to get used to the fact that there’s an unknown amount of days left to how long he can keep seeing Cas – if at all. They both might be too busy dealing with the fallout from this to see each other before the fang-fin are forced from this area. That’s what the losing party of a war does, right? They retreat forever.

His thoughts are grim when he finally turns to the colony. Victor pulses curiosity at him, probably wondering how they’re going to do this. Dean doesn’t really know what he’s going to do, but he might as well start with opening the kin-connection to the rest of the colony. He’s kind of been avoiding that as much as possible, but now there’s no more hiding from it.

As soon as the walls drop and he dips into the colony’s shared kin-connection, Dean regrets it. He winces at the clamour of voices. Hundreds of voices and endless questions. Fang-fin usually hide their emotions, but Dean can feel tremors of fear, worry, and so much confusion that it almost hurts to feel. The first fang-fin to notice his presence in the kin-connection points it out to everyone. Voices go quiet as it spreads and Dean waits for complete silence before he says anything – then he wishes he didn’t.

The voices come back with a vengeance, stronger than before. They fill the kin-connection with their questions, each one trying to talk over the other. It makes Dean’s head hurt. Half of the colony throw thoughts at him that focus on calling him a _traitor_. He was expecting that, but it still stings a bit. It probably doesn’t help matters that he was totally in full view of the colony while he was with Cas and Sam. Everyone could see Dean touching him and smiling at him. They saw him getting chummy with a _bright-fin_ and – well shit. He didn’t really stop and think about how that would affect things right now.

Fuck it. There’s nothing wrong with the bright-fin and there’s sure as shit nothing wrong with being friends with one. Though Dean does take a bit of amusement out of imagining what the colony’s reaction would be if they knew that he sometimes entertains thoughts about Cas that are a lot more _friendly_ than what they would have seen earlier.

Thankfully, no one knows about those thoughts. Hell, Dean barely knows about them either. He’s perfected the art of burying them in places where he doesn’t have to think about them. Really, though, he only actively thought about touching Cas in inappropriate ways maybe – like – once? Okay, twice. Y’know what, no. Those were totally just nonsense thoughts that everyone has when they’re leaning over the edge of being awake and being asleep. Because – yeah – no. That’s not a current Dean wants to swim down right now – or ever. Especially if the fang-fin are going to be leaving in a handful of days.

Victor touches his mind through the kin-connection again, saving Dean’s thoughts from swimming in circles. _(You want me to start?)_

Dean breathes a sigh of relief and gives him a hopeful smile. _(I swear you must’ve been sent by Mother-sea. Go right ahead.)_ It would be great if Victor would do _all_ the talking, but he knows he’s not that lucky. Though he’s definitely going to take this opportunity to work on blocking the more hateful thoughts of the colony.

A wry amusement tickles the kin-connection slightly before Victor swims forward a little more. Some of the kin-connection with the colony grows quiet, but there are still so many voices that it’s definitely hurting Dean’s head. But everyone shuts up completely when Victor seizes the kin-connection in the kind of way that catches the attention of everyone linked to it. Dean can’t remember the last time he’s seen anyone do that, but holy _shit_ it is so effective!

The silence is filled with a kind of quiet awe. Everyone in the kin-connection is shocked by how forceful Victor is with it. No surprise, really, considering how he just made the entire colony shut up with one great big wave of _shut the fuck up_ – without actually having to say it. That’s the kind of sense of authority that Dean just doesn’t have. Which is why he really shouldn’t be the one up here.

After a moment of silence, a couple voices start up again. That seems to catch Sam’s attention. _(Check out who’s being the most vocal about calling for your blood right now.)_

Dean’s lips press into a thin line while he focuses on the voices still calling him a traitor. Unsurprisingly, it’s from the handful of people that the rebels are more or less convinced were in on the whole thing from the start. Meg is one of them. Ruby too. Dean stops checking the others out past that. Sam and the others can keep track of that. The less Dean has pay attention to the accusations, the better. He doesn’t need any more blows to his self-esteem right now.

When Victor flips his tail in front of him and swims backwards slightly, Dean’s heart sinks. He had been hoping that Victor would actually _talk_ to them. Like, do _all_ the talking, actually. Looks like all he did was get their attention. Of course nothing can be that easy.

 _(They’re all yours.)_ Victor knocks his arm-fin against Dean’s as he gets even with him. _(Have fun.)_

Fuck. Dean gives him a grim look. _(Gee. Thanks.)_

A chill breaks out across his skin. It feels like it’s seeping into his bones. He doesn’t like this _talking-to-the-whole-colony_ thing. It’s making him feel sick to his stomach. Talking to his division never felt like this. Those were mostly friends and people he’s been fighting alongside for more seasons than he can remember. He’s not so familiar with the rest of the colony, more or less. And he’s never had to talk to such a big group – half of which hates him even more than usual.

Sam’s hand closes over his shoulder and pulls Dean back out of his mental freak out. A comforting touch brushes his thoughts from a handful of fin-kin, Cas among them. It’s the best support he’s going to get and there’s nothing else stopping him. He might as well get this over with, right?

Dean takes a deep breath and dives head first into the kin-connection, opening it enough to actually _talk_ to them. _(I know you’re confused –)_

_( **Traitor**!)_

Meg’s thoughts overwhelm his, smothering them to the point that he’s not even sure anyone heard him. It immediately annoys him. It’s bad enough that he’s got to deal with this shit. He’s sure as hell not going to let someone like _Meg_ make this last any longer than it has to.

 _(You want a traitor, Meg?)_ Dean’s thoughts have a taunting edge to them and he doesn’t even care. Sam does, and he lets Dean know through the tightened grip on his shoulder. He ignores it. _(Let’s bring the bodies of Alistair and Lilith over here. Then you can see what traitors look like.)_

That gets a stunned silence from everyone, and it’s exactly what Dean wanted. Shock value tends to have that effect. _(I know you’re all confused. That you’re scared, and hurt. But there’s a whole bunch of shit going down in this war that a lot of you never knew about. If you’ll all shut up and listen, we can explain everything. Including why it’s our **Council** who betrayed us.)_

He’s probably going to ruffle a few scales doing this, but Dean is long past caring. If Sam and the other rebels wanted him to be subtle and nice about this, then they picked the wrong damn fang-fin for it. The kin-connection buzzes with everyone’s reactions to his announcement. Dean is plenty happy to let that happen for a while, but Victor has other plans. He seizes the kin-connection again and makes everyone go quiet again.

Dean sighs and rubs a hand over his face. _(Okay, look. We’re all fang-fin here, right? We love a good fight and we all enjoyed this war. I know that better than anyone – until I learned better.)_ He holds up his hand, hoping that will be enough to keep anyone from talking over him again when he pauses. _(But here’s a question, does anyone remember **why** this war started in the first place?)_

A female younger than Dean by a couple mating seasons calls out first. _(It was because the bright-fin were selfish and refused to share this area with us!)_

 _(Yes and no.)_ He shakes his head, fighting the urge to smile at the confusion that builds up. _(We were **told** that they refused to share this area – even though it’s got more resources than they could ever need and that trench has more spare than they could fill on their own. That sound about right to all of you?)_

The female hesitates before she nods. A few feelings of agreement ripple through the kin-connection. Victor finally adds his own voice to this poor example of a conversation. _(Good. And **who** were the ones who told us this?)_

This time, an older male answers. _(It was the Council.)_

Dean knows they’re talking to the colony like they’re idiots, but they have to take this slow. They have to explain it nice and easy or they’re just not going to get it. But the less people speak out against him, the easier it is to actually talk to them. Sorta. He’s still got that nervous ball of worry curling painfully in his belly, but Dean does his best to work past it.

 _(You’re right. It was the Council. But did anyone notice that they didn’t share their direct memories of that first meeting with the bright-fin?)_ His tail cuts through the water and buoys him in place now that Dean is getting kind of excited. Talking shit about the Council always puts a little heat in his veins. _(Did no one care that they didn’t share with us the actual war declaration?)_

To add insult to injury, Dean reaches into his own memories and pulls up what he remembers of the announcement. He shares them with the colony without hesitation, making sure that they all remember that they didn’t have anything to go on but the Council’s word when it came to their claims of what happened at that meeting. All they used were their words, and even then their emotions were completely hidden. That’s nothing new from the Council, but Dean should have been at least a little bit suspicious. He’s going to hate himself forever for accepting their claims at face value.

Sharing his memories riles the colony up a little bit more. Some of them turn towards each other, talking in hushed thoughts that tremble in the background of the kin-connection. No one actively speaks out against his memories, not even Meg or Ruby or any of their cohorts. In fact, Dean is pretty sure that those particular loyalists have all but completely shut their minds to him. Those bastards were probably all in on it and – hold on.

 _(Sam.)_ Dean narrows their link into a private one and resists the urge to turn and look at him. _(Can you get someone to check who closed off their minds? I wanna see if they’re the same ones who were at that meeting with the Council.)_

He’s met with silence for a moment before Sam’s thoughts clear slightly. _(Wow – I think you might actually have something there. I’ll get Jess on it.)_

Cas’s thoughts brush his before he can say anything else to Sam. It’s just a light touch, but it’s enough to fully pull all of Dean’s attention on to him. _(You should share with your colony the members that I used to convince you of your Council’s deceit.)_

In theory, that’s a good idea. In practice, Dean is pretty sure it wouldn’t go over so great. _(I dunno how willing they’d be to accept the word of a bright-fin. They all kinda still hate you guys at this point.)_

A wry amusement filters through Cas’s words. _(Maybe not the words of a bright-fin, but the words of **truth** may have a bigger impact than you think.)_

Point well made, but Dean still has his doubts. He sighs and scrubs both his hands over his face and into his hair. This might make things worse, but what does he really have to lose? He _needs_ to convince the colony that this is what happened, and he doesn’t have many options left to him to do that. Fine, okay. He’ll give it a shot. If it fails, it’s so not his fault.

Dean gives Victor a nudge and he gets the colony to hush up again. As soon as he has everyone’s attention again, he musters up the courage to speak. _(Look. If you really don’t believe me, then I can show you the memories of someone who was there. It’s from someone who heard every word our Council said that day.)_

He doesn’t wait for any kind of acknowledgement and he doesn’t answer the curiosity he gets from some of the rebels. Dean takes a deep breath and he drops every single wall that he has around his mind. This is literally the most vulnerable Dean has ever been in his whole life. He opens his mind to his colony like no fang-fin has likely done in a _very_ long time – if ever. And it gets him a whole tidal wave of surprise in answer. Thankfully, nothing else happens. No one takes the opportunity to attack his mind and take advantage of his vulnerability.

Maybe seeing how willing he is to open up will help convince the colony that this is the truth. Why else would he do something so drastic as this?

No one speaks as Dean dredges up all of Cas’s memories that he can remember. Each one is still ringed with that halo of truth that he’ll never forget. It shook him to his core and made him open his eyes for the first time in the war. Now they can only hope that it’ll do the same for the colony. He takes every single one of those memories and pours them right into the kin-connection. They’re not going to like it, but now they can see just how _horrible_ their Council really is – or _was_ , in this case.

Sam’s hand is a solid weight on his shoulder, squeezing hard to give him a small bit of comfort. This is so uncomfortable. Dean hasn’t even been this open with _him_ before either. It’s just – Can he be done with this already?

 _(Let me help.)_ Cas’s thoughts wrap around his, soothing any irritation.

Dean closes his eyes and his gills flutter as Cas buoys his memories with his own. Through him, Cas fills in any spots where he doesn’t quite remember what was said – since it feels like it was ages ago when Dean learned about just how much the Council fucked him over. It just adds to the truth of the matter and, as a last ditch effort, Dean decides to add in every bitter and betrayed feeling that he has.

 _(You sure you want to let them feel that?)_ Sam pokes at those dark feelings, a little concerned by them.

Of course he does. This whole war happened because the Council kept secrets and told lies. Dean is fucking _done_ with lies, now. He’s done with secrets too – mostly. The colony might’ve hated him for the majority of his life, but they all deserve to know why Dean has done everything that is making them label him a _traitor_.

Once the memories come to an end, Dean relaxes slightly. He shared everything from the moment he learned the truth to this very moment – not even omitting his many visits with Cas. Well, he absolutely does hide from them the weird little feelings that he sometimes gets where Cas is concerned. And those late night thoughts that he totally doesn’t admit to having. But, at the end, It takes a lot of effort not to immediately wrap his mind in protective walls again.

Leaving it open is risky, but this is how the bright-fin are, right? Their colony is amazing and they managed to hold off _and_ overpower the fang-fin time and time again. There is so much they could learn from the bright-fin, and Dean wants to start with this. He wants to start with the _truth_ – and being stupidly open and vulnerable and it kinda sucks but he’s going to push his way through it.

The colony is silent and every fang-fin’s eyes are on him. It’s – really disconcerting. Dean does his best not to swim and hide because this is just exceedingly uncomfortable. Can’t one of them say something? Their thoughts are too quiet. It’s not that far from normal, because the majority of the colony keeps their thoughts hidden all the times.

Victor puts his hand on Dean’s shoulder and it almost makes him flinch in surprise. _(Let me take it from here, Dean. You’ve done enough.)_

 _(Oh sweet Mother-sea, thank you.)_ Dean relaxes a smidgen more as he drifts back and makes a gesture for him to move forward. He doesn’t leave like he wants to. Whatever Victor is going to say, he should probably be here for that too.

With his hands on his hips, Victor looks over the colony with all the authority that a Council member _should_ display. Dean points that out to some of the other rebels, just in case they need ideas for who should be on their new Council.

 _(Do we have any questions? Or anyone who still sides with our former Council?)_ Victor’s questions bring up another wave of chatter from the colony and he shuts them up the same as he’s done before. _(Yes, I said **former** and I mean it. As of this moment, the colony is without a Council. Abaddon and Crowley are the only two still alive and we’re going to deal with them as we do with our custom.)_

Another, louder wave of chatter rolls up and Victor just talks right over it. He doesn’t even care if anyone is against it. _( **They** betrayed our colony. **We** have set things right. There will be no more fighting between the colonies. No more unnecessary death. We’ll get our affairs in order and leave this place.)_

Dean knew it was coming, but he doesn’t want to hear it any more than he did before. His heart sinks and his hands ball into fists at his side. There’s a quick flash of sadness that pulses through the kin-connection before walls get drawn up around Cas’s mind. It makes Dean feel moderately better – but not by much – to know that Cas is apparently unhappy about this too. Now the question remains; how _much_ does Cas hate this? And _why_ does he hate it? Is he unhappy for the same reasons that Dean is?

As if he knows that Dean is thinking these questions, Cas brushes the edges of his mind with some curiosity. _(Why do you have to leave?)_

Does he really not know? _(You really think your colony is going to let us stay after all we’ve done to you?)_ C’mon, Cas. He should know this. It’s pretty fucking obvious.

 _(But it wasn’t **you**.) _ He insists, the unhappy creeping into his words from around his walls. _(It was your **Council**. There’s a difference.)_

If only. _(I don’t think the rest of your colony is going to see it that way, Cas.)_ Dean shakes his head and glances towards the part of the guard-shell where Cas is floating.

There’s a quick pulse of determination before Cas breaks away from the shell and swims off into the dark. Dean watches his glow retreat towards another gathering of bright-fin. Aren’t his brothers over there? His brothers who are on the _Council_? Well, shit. What is Cas up to now? Dean touches his mind with curiosity, but Cas doesn’t answer. His thoughts are shielded and he doesn’t answer.

Right now, Dean would give just about anything to be allowed to follow after Cas. Whatever he’s doing would be infinitely better than being right here. Dean wants to be where Cas is, but he needs to worry about his colony right now – as much as he doesn’t want to. He’s played his part. Which _should_ mean that he should be allowed to leave. But it doesn’t work that way. As a part of the colony, he’s gotta be here for this.

Despite that, Dean ends up not having to answer any questions. Victor takes care of them all. When there’s something he can’t answer, Sam swims forward to help. It’s not too long before Bobby and Ellen swim down to join them, taking questions when Victor’s authority gets questioned. It’s dumb, but he’s just a division captain after all. Bobby and Ellen are practically colony elders. They hold a tiny bit more respect than any other rebel, purely because of their age.

With the way the fang-fin live their lives, age is an important thing. The older you are, then it’s more likely than you’re a pretty damn good fighter. Bobby and Ellen are some of the oldest members of the colony right now – and they’re some of the best fighters, obviously. They might not officially be elders _yet_ , but they’ve still got more status than most normal fang-fin. It’s just _slightly_ more than what Victor and Dean should have as the only division leaders who are both still alive and not sitting down among the rest of the colony.

No one seems to notice or care that Dean keeps drifting back and away from the discussion. To be honest, he’s really sick of basically being the center of attention all the time. If he could be allowed, he’d like to curl up in his little sleep cave and stay there for a season. He just feels so _tired_ now that things are done. And sad. Like, really fucking sad. And for too many reasons that he doesn’t want to think about – especially since they’re centering mostly on Cas.

Dean does his best to ignore those particular thoughts by fighting _really_ hard to keep his attention on what’s going on with the colony. He only vaguely keeps tabs on what’s being said, but it’s no surprise to him when some fang-fin separate themselves from the others. They’re picking sides and anyone who is vocally agreeing with the Council’s previous actions are getting pulled away from the rest of the group. Dean feels a little vindicated when his guesses for who would be _true_ loyalists and who wouldn’t are more or less right on.

There’s some good to be said about how the majority of the colony seems pretty upset that they were lied to. Some are just like Dean and they’re already calling for Abaddon and Crowley’s blood. They want _justice_. But others are just sitting there in silence, staring at nothing while they process all this new information. Dean knows from experience how overwhelming it can all be, and he doesn’t envy them in the slightest.

He sighs and sinks down to sit in the sand again. His tail folds to his chest and he rests his forehead on the bend of it. Putting aside all the sad and the tired, Dean has a big ol’ cloud of _fear_ floating over his head too and he’s been doing his damnedest to ignore it. There’s just so much to _do_ and so much that could happen that it’s freaking him the fuck out. What the shit is he going to do? Nothing. He can’t do _anything_ to stay here and make friends with the bright-fin or anything. Those bridges crumbled the moment his Council declared war.

 _(Dean?)_ Cas pulls him out of his mental funk with a soft touch, both to his mind and his shoulder.

His head pops up and he squints against the light of Cas’s glow – and the light of the three members of his Council, all floating behind him. Dean blinks at them all for a moment. _(Uh – Yeah?)_

There’s something almost like a smile on Cas’s lips and his head-fans keeping twitching, like he’s having trouble containing himself. _(I’ve spoken with my Council and they’ve agreed to let you use our caverns to hold anyone you deem necessary to imprison.)_

It’s not really what Dean wanted to hear, but okay. _(Oh, good.)_ He glances at the colony, where they’re still sorting themselves out. _(We’re figuring out right now who was in cahoots with the Council and who was just as blind as I was.)_

Dean reaches out to mentally shoulder tap Sam, passing him the information Cas just gave him. At the same time, Cas singles out a group of bright-fin from the shell still floating around them. _(Here. They will accompany your rebels and the loyalists to where they can be put in the caverns for the time being.)_

 _(Good thinking.)_ It’s not like they can have a group of fang-fin just swim right into the bright-fin home trench now, can they? Who even knows what kind of shit that would kick up.

He’s not expecting Bobby to almost mentally punch him for attention. _(You’re being rude, boy. Make some damn introductions.)_

That’s about when Dean notices that Bobby and Ellen have left Victor and Sam to continue dealing with the colony – which now includes assigning some rebels to go with the bright-fin and the loyalists to the trench. Bobby and Ellen have drifted over and are _right there_ , watching Dean expectantly. This is – new. They want introductions and the only new people here are the bright-fin Council, so – What the fuck are they both up to?

Cas rolls forward and out of the way so Bobby and Ellen have a clear view of the Council. _(These are my brothers, Michael and Lucifer.)_ He uses gestures to point them out in addition to the flashes of their faces in the kin-connection. _(And this is Raphael. They are all members of our Council.)_ Together with Dean, Cas passes along the greetings. _(My Council, this is Bobby and Ellen. They are both founding members of the rebels.)_

Bobby wastes no time in getting straight to the point. The most he does is nod his head in greeting and start speaking through Cas. _(We want to offer a truce. This war is done and we’re officially throwing down our weapons.)_

Cas’s thoughts curl in on themselves when Raphael speaks through him, giving Dean the impression that Cas doesn’t like him much. _(Truce?)_ He actually has the audacity to _scoff_ and Dean is filled with a strong urge to punch him. _(We’ve already won.)_

The orange bright-fin next to him is – which one of Cas’s brothers again? Right, Michael. He turns a dark look on Raphael. _(We won **with** the help of the rebels, in case you forgot. If it wasn’t for them and Castiel’s hard work, we would still be fighting.)_

Damn fucking _right_. Okay, it’s decided. Dean likes Cas’s big brother. Michael seems like a cool enough guy. Balthazar was alright. A little _too_ sarcastic for Dean’s liking, but decent enough. Lucifer and the rest of Cas’s family still remain to be figured out. Granted, Dean’s probably not going to get the chance to really get to know any of them, is he? Yeah, probably not.

Michael turns to Bobby and Ellen and actually bows his head to them. _(We accept your truce and are more than happy to declare that this war be officially over.)_

Holy shit, what? Dean blinks a couple times and his gills flutter in surprise. Really? It’s just _over_ like that? He looks between Bobby, Ellen, and Michael. There’s gotta be more to it than this, right? Wars don’t just _end_ like this, do they?

Cas’s thoughts are practically glowing themselves with his delight and he’s just _grinning_ at Dean like this is the best thing in the ocean. Even his fans are rippling all along his tail. This _is_ a pretty great thing, what with the war being officially over and all, but – but Dean can’t really bring himself to be _happy_ right now. Not like how he should be, at least. There’s some form of “happy” sitting low in his chest, but it’s nothing like what Cas is pulsing into the kin-connection.

Michael nods to acknowledge the grateful feelings that Bobby and Ellen share through Cas. He turns to look at the gathered colony and his head-fans spread slightly. After a moment to himself, Michael looks back at the others. _(I would suggest withdrawing back to your camp for the time being. You need to settle things amongst yourselves first and foremost. We’ll hold your loyalists for the time being and I swear on my honour as the colony leader that they will be treated well.)_

Dean snorts and looks away. He wants nothing to do with anyone who follows the former Council – let alone anyone who were in on the whole thing. Those bastards should have boulders strapped to their tails and left to sink into the abyss. Or – better yet, sent straight into the molten crack at the base of Cas’s home trench. Let those fuckers _burn_. The water is so hot down there, Dean bets they would boil before they reach the bottom.

It would be a suitable end for them – not that he would ever say anything about that. The bright-fin already think he’s a monster. Dean has worked his tail off to get where he is with Cas and he’s not going to ruin that by opening his big dumb mind and letting him know just how bloodthirsty he still is. But Dean is working on that and hopefully, one day, he won’t be anything like the monster he knows is still lurking somewhere inside of him.

 _(Thank you.)_ Ellen actually smiles and she bows her head to the bright-fin Council. _(We’ll come get them when we’ve got ourselves figured out.)_

True to Bobby-form, he doesn’t waste any time with getting to the heart of the matter. In this case, it’s the one thing Dean doesn’t want to talk about right now. _(Speaking of – Have you lot figured out whether you want us gone?)_ He scratches at his beard and Dean gets the distinct impression that he’s looking at him, even though he’s not. _(Or is there any chance that we can work out some kinda peace treaty like the rest of us thought our Council was going to talk with you about the first time around?)_

Okay, never mind. That last bit there definitely lifts Dean’s spirits a little more. He hadn’t considered that, actually. Originally they _did_ want peace with the bright-fin. The colony was prepared to live right alongside them and everything. But then the Council went and fucked them over on that. If that’s still an option, though, then Dean will _happily_ take it. Given the choice of staying or leaving, then he absolutely wants to stay here.

Cas’s other brother, Lucifer, is the one who answers Bobby’s question – but only after he holds a hand out in front of Raphael to stop him from saying anything. _(We haven’t discussed that amongst ourselves yet, but that will be the first thing we discuss tomorrow morning. For today, I think it best that we retire to our own areas and take a chance to relax.)_

Yeah, that’s doubtful. Dean doesn’t even remotely believe that the bright-fin are going to _relax_ while there are fang-fin around. True or not, they’ve earned a shitty name for themselves. It’s going to be a while yet before any fang-fin can be fully trusted by the bright-fin – not including Cas, because he’s a special case all on his own.

But it really is a good idea for them to figure their shit out first. As it is right now, the fang-fin are currently leaderless. And there’s a hell of a lot to be done to fix all that. It’s a whole bunch of stuff that Dean really isn’t looking forward to doing. He also has the sneaking suspicion that no one is going to let him curl up in his little cave and sleep away the new few days – and he _really_ doesn’t want to be a part of what comes next for the fang-fin. Which means that he’d rather stay here, then. Because here is where Cas is and Cas probably won’t be a part of any big discussions over here.

Maybe, if he asks nicely, then _maybe_ he could ask if Cas could put him up in his sleep area for the night. That way, Dean wouldn’t have to deal with anyone and he could get all the sleep that he wants. He’d also be near Cas for the whole night and that makes Dean’s stomach flip just thinking about it. They haven’t spent that much time together since they were stuck in the cave together, and Dean kinda misses that. He doesn’t miss the _cave_ , but he definitely misses all that Cas-time.

As if he knows that he’s being thought about, Cas touches the edges of Dean’s mind. It’s just a gentle sweep of curiosity mixed with a healthy dose of concern. Dean has a sudden, almost visceral urge to wrap himself in that touch and never let it leave him. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to look up at Cas, hoping against all hope that nothing about his feelings are showing on his face or in his words as he answers him.

 _(The next few days are going to be hell.)_ Dean can’t hold his gaze for too long and looks away again, glancing at the colony. _(We’re going to be at each other’s throats trying to figure all this shit out.)_

Cas’s concern only doubles and his curiosity melts into confusion. He drifts closer to put a hand on Dean’s arm. _(What do you mean by that?)_

 _(I mean that we’re going to be spending the next few days purging our ranks of anyone who won’t accept the truth.)_ The words feel strained and so very bitter. He doesn’t want to tell Cas about this. It’s only going to prove that the fang-fin are monsters to him.

True to form, Cas is just more confused by that. His fans ripple and twitch out, spreading when he tilts his head. _(What does that mean?)_

His jaw aches when he grits his teeth. But he can’t hide anything from Cas. Not if he’s probably never going to see him again really soon. _(It probably means we’re going to kill any loyalists who refuse to follow the new Council – once we figure out who that’s going to be.)_

As expected, Cas’s thoughts flare with horror. The grip he has on Dean’s arm tightens momentarily before it withdraws all together. _(Why wouldn’t you just **exile** them?)_

Dean shakes his head. He can’t remember an instance where anyone was _exiled_ from their colony. It might be what he _hopes_ happened to his parents, but he knows his people. He knows what they’re like. _(Fang-fin don’t take that risk. Anyone we exile could easily come back and fuck us up if they managed to build themselves another force and want to seek revenge or some fish-shit like that.)_ His stomach feels queasy, like no amount of kelp will ever calm it again. _(Especially if we would be banishing a bunch of them at once.)_

There’s silence for a while before Cas touches his arm again. _(You wouldn’t actually – would you?)_

 _(Fuck no.)_ He looks up at him sharply, baring his teeth in a growl. _(I’m **done** with killing, Cas.)_ Even if he’s still itching to make Abaddon and Crowley bleed. _(But **me** being done is – I can’t speak for the anyone else in the colony. If that’s what they want to do, it’s what they’re going to do. I’m not their leader. The colony can make their own decisions now.)_

Cas’s hand leaves again, but it’s a slow slide down Dean’s arm before it falls away. If he didn’t feel like shit, Dean would be overjoyed with that simple touch. He’s come to the conclusion that Cas – or bright-fin in general – just aren’t used to being physical with each other. Or at least, not outside of family.

He shrugs and looks down at his hands again. _(We’re different, Cas. We’ve got a different way of doing things than you guys.)_ And, as it’s becoming more apparent, a lot of it sucks.

 _(I know.)_ Cas sweeps his touch across the edges of Dean’s mind both in apology and not. _(I just – we’ve never **executed** someone before. The worst we’ve ever done is exile them, though that is a death sentence in its own right, I suppose.)_

It makes sense and at the same time, it doesn’t. _(I think that’s more cruel than what we do.)_ And it kinda is. Basically, the bright-fin just want to keep the water clean. They don’t want to be the ones to spill the blood. But sending someone off on their own, with no kin-connection to keep them sane – they’re just going to lose their mind and die a painful death. The fang-fin way ensures a quick, normally painless death. There’s no _misery_ involved.

Surprisingly, Cas doesn’t disagree. But he also doesn’t agree. In fact, he doesn’t say anything else after that. His attention turns back to the separate conversations that his Council is having amongst themselves and what Bobby and Ellen are doing with sending off the rebels to escort the fang-fin colony back to camp. Dean figures that everyone is about to go their separate ways now, and even with the awkward conversation topic between them right now, Dean isn’t ready for this.

 _(When you have yourselves sorted out and would like your prisoners, you can send envoys to us.)_ Michael breaks the silence between the two colonies, apparently having reached some kind of decision with the other two Council members. _(While your figure yourselves out, we give you our word that our truce will hold and we will not initiate any attacks. We will, however, remain on guard.)_

 _(We’d expect nothing less.)_ Ellen actually smiles. She nods in agreement and turns away with Bobby, ready to head out with the rest of the colony. Which means they’ll be expecting Dean to go with them.

In expectation of that, he sighs and pushes away from the ground. That’s when the unexpected happens. To every fang-fin’s surprise, a song starts up among the breaking shell as the bright-fin withdraw to let the fang-fin leave. He has no idea who started it, but soon all the bright-fin are singing. It’s the happiest song Dean’s ever heard from any of them. Granted, the only songs he’s heard are the ones that Cas has sung for him. But this one is pretty nice – it sounds _happy_. It gets even better when a big smile breaks across Cas’s lips. Dean watches, eyes wide, as Cas tilts his head back and add his voice to the song.

The leaving fang-fin stop swimming away, just to stop and listen. They don’t have songs of their own, so this is something new and pretty awesome to hear. But Dean has something that none of the other fang-fin do. He’s got Cas in his head, and Cas’s delight is making the kin-connection glow almost as bright as he is. This is the first time Dean has ever seen – ever _felt_ Cas be this happy. He wasn’t even this happy when they finally left the cave together.

It’s amazing and Dean is absolutely in awe of it. And then Cas starts swimming around him. The water is trembling with the echoing voices of the bright-fin and Cas is practically dancing around Dean in dizzying circles. He’s just _radiating_ joy like Dean’s never felt before and it’s kind of contagious. Like, _really_ incredibly contagious. Dean is already feeling the effects of having such a pleasant feeling filling the kin-connection. It’s brightening his mood a hundred fold.

They’ve won and Dean is _finally_ able to feel happy about it. Cas’s song and his own delight is boosting that little bit of happy he had that was being overshadowed by the depressing thoughts of the future. Really, he shouldn’t be letting that get in his way. Dean should allow himself to be happy about this. The war is finally over and they made it. They made it and now, if they’re going to be allowed to stick around, Dean can focus on trying to redeem himself to Cas and to all the bright-fin.

No, he’s not going to think about having to leave. This is a _happy_ time. Actually, it’s really fucking hard to think depressing thoughts when Cas is dancing in dizzying spirals around him. His laughter and song is ringing through the water and echoing through the kin-connection. He’s never seen Cas like this and it’s both amusing, amazing and just downright awesome. And he’s never heard Cas _laugh_ before. For a while, all Dean can do is stare and listen to it.

Dean’s own excitement keeps getting boosted by everything Cas is feeling. If he could swim like Cas, he’d be dancing with him too. While Dean might not be able to do such tight twists and turns like a bright-fin, and he might not be able to sing like a bright-fin, he can still _swim_. And he does just that, darting forward and ducking under Cas with a laugh. It draws a surprised laugh out of Cas too, lighting up the kin-connection with his amusement.

There’s movement off to his side and Dean glances over to see Cas chasing after him. It doesn’t matter that they’re in full view of both colonies, or that Cas’s brothers are calling at him to act his age. They “dance” with each other in over and around both colonies, dodging groups of fang-fin and bright-fin alike. They pass over groups tending to their wounded, and under ones that float together while they sing. Dean knows everyone is staring at them, but he doesn’t care. He needs this and it’s fun – and it’s really distracting to see Cas actually having _fun_.

Something slaps against his back-fin and Dean looks up to see Cas flipping above him. The end of his tail brushes the top of Dean’s head, flicking him. It doesn’t hurt, but Cas makes another pass over him and does it again. Dean knows exactly what he’s doing and he can’t stop grinning. The bastard is _teasing_ him. If he wants to play, then Dean will show him how to _play_.

What little dancing they were doing while swimming is forgotten for an epic game of tag. They duck and roll in every direction, pulling up or diving down to avoid being grabbed by the other. Bright-fin are fast, but Dean is one of the fastest fang-fin around. If Cas was serious about avoiding him, Dean wouldn’t even be able to keep up with him. As it is right now, half the fang-fin colony has left by the time Dean actually catches up with him – or rather, by the time Cas lets himself be caught.

Dean has no idea which one it is, but he doesn’t care. He’s too delighted to actually catch him. He crashes into Cas almost at full tilt, wrapping his arms around his waist and causes them both to go rolling through the water together. Adrenaline is making Dean’s blood race and his head is absolutely buzzing with it, adding to the overwhelming _joy_ Cas is feeding into him from hundreds of fin-kin. Cas’s tail is pressed against his own and Dean’s arms are around his waist. They haven’t been this close since they left the cave. Only this time Cas’s hands are on his shoulders and he’s _laughing_.

Maybe it’s that and a combination of knowing that he’s going to be moving on from this place shortly that makes him do it, but what Dean does next _really_ seemed like a good idea at the time. It’s the first thing – the only thing – that he can think to do with Cas like this. And he grumbles like broken rock, giving in to those barely awake sometimes thoughts that he’s been avoiding paying too much attention to. Which, in hindsight, was just a really _stupid_ thing for him to do.

Right there, in the middle of the battlefield and surrounded by both their colonies, Dean kisses Cas. It’s just a short, quick little thing. A press of lips and nothing more. But it’s enough to make shock spike through the kin-connection so hard that Dean pulls away with a wince. That’s about when Dean notices that Cas has gone dead silent. He’s staring at Dean, mouth open and all his fans spread wide. His gills are still too, not even breathing.

Aside from that first pulse of shock, there’s nothing else coming from Cas. Dean can feel that he’s there, silent on the edge of his mind, but everything else has just _stopped_. It’s not like Cas has closed his mind to him or anything. He’s just – Cas has _stopped_. Stopped breathing, stopped thinking, stopped blinking or moving or anything at all. It’s a little bit concerning. More so than the fact that Dean is well aware the a lot of bright-fin around them have stopped singing and are openly staring at them, looking just as shocked as Cas does right now.

Regretfully, Dean withdraws. He feels colder than usual when he lets go of Cas’s waist and drifts back. It was – it was _really_ nice to hold him, even if just for a too short while. There are other things to worry about now and Dean touches at that nothing-feeling in his head where Cas is, brushing it with his concern. Hopefully he’ll actually get an answer.

That seems to snap Cas out of it. His fans twitch open and closed a few times before he takes a shuddering breath. _(You kissed me.)_

Yes, yes he did. And Dean is starting to get the feeling that it was a _really_ bad idea. _(I – yeah, I did. I’m – should I have asked first?)_ Or maybe not even done it at all?

Cas brings a hand to his mouth, touching his lips. _(You **kissed** me.)_

His surprise fills the kin-connection again and Dean relaxes slightly. That’s better than nothing. It’s still not the greatest and Dean swallows around a lump forming in his throat. _(Is – I mean – Are you mad?)_ He really hopes he’s not.

If worse comes to worst, Dean could just blame it on getting caught up in the moment. But, really, this has been coming for a while. As much as he doesn’t want to think about it or acknowledge it in any way, Dean _likes_ Cas. He wants to see him smile and hear him laugh. At some point during the last season, the reasons Dean wanted this war to end expanded to include wanting to see Cas be _happy_ again. So, yeah. He likes Cas and that explains a lot of the feelings and thoughts he’s been ignoring in favour of focusing on ending this damn war.

But, even if Dean had stopped to think about and realize this before, nothing would have changed. It never would have been the right time to tell Cas. Especially not when Dean isn’t even sure if he’s been fully forgiven for his actions in the first half of the war. In fact, he might _never_ be forgiven for that. Even more so now that he went and just _kissed_ him.

Fuck. How much did he just screw up their friendship?

* * *

This is completely unprecedented. Dean just _kissed_ him. It was Castiel’s first kiss and Dean just took it. A _male_ took his first kiss. Why would he even – That’s just – How could – A male kissing a _male_. That makes no sense. Kissing is an act shared between romantic and sexual partners. But males don’t romance other males, and they certainly don’t perform sexual acts between them. What good would that do? Two males can’t create a nest together. It’s biologically impossible and absolutely ridiculous.

But – for how short it was – the kiss was rather nice. It had sent a rather pleasing tingle along Castiel’s spine, right to the tip of his tail. And it’s not as if he doesn’t like Dean, because he does. Just – not like _that_. Or, at least, maybe? No. Castiel can say in all certainty that he has never thought about Dean like that. Those would be the kind of thoughts that he forcefully stopped himself from having when he wasn’t much older than a hatchling and determined that he has no attraction to females.

And yet, Castiel has never really found males to be all that attractive either. Both sexes were both – well, they weren’t _unappealing_. It was just that Castiel never had the urge to mate with a female. And he never allowed himself the opportunity to think about mating with a male. That was mostly because it never really occurred to him before. Not completely, at least. Honestly, he’s just never actually found anyone that he would be interested in kissing. Castiel has never _liked_ someone like that before.

He does like Dean, though. Dean has been an unexpected friend. They have a kind of bond between them now, formed through the differences in their colonies and the hard situation brought to them by this war. It never occurred to Castiel that he would ever end up worrying about the safety of anyone besides his siblings during this war, but look at him now. In this last battle, he could have been a nervous wreck about Dean’s wellbeing if he hadn’t been so in control of his emotions.

Except there is a glaring problem here. Dean isn’t one of his siblings. Dean is a friend. He is a friend who just _kissed_ him. Is it possible that Dean just go swept up in the exalted emotions of the situation? Castiel is smaller than him, but only because the fang-fin as a whole are bigger than the bright-fin. It’s not much, but it could be possible that in the jubilations, Dean’s instincts might have just mistaken Castiel for a female. As much as the thought annoys him, that could be a possibility, right?

These are the kind of questions that need to be answered right now. Castiel drops his hand and looks to Dean, ready to ask them. The questions are on the very edge of his mind, but Anna chooses that moment to announce her presence. He doesn’t know when she got here, but clearly it was not early enough to see Dean kiss him. She would most undoubtedly have something to say about that.

Instead, Ann merely crashes into him from behind. Her mind joins his in the kin-connection immediately, barely requiring any concentration to do it. She laughs and crushes him in an all too tight hug, exuding every bit of excitement and delight that Castiel was moments before Dean kissed him. _(You’re alive!)_

Castiel twists in her arms to return her hug, though it’s a distracted one. _(Of course I am. What are you doing here?)_

 _(A group showed up with fang-fin to put them in the caves. They told us the war was one!)_ Anna draws back to swim circles around him, very close to raising her own voice to add to the song of joy that some of the bright-fin are still singing.

It is all too painfully obvious that she isn’t reading the situation. Dean might not be privy to it, but Castiel can feel through the kin-connection the confusion and shock of every bright-fin who witnessed the kiss. They’re talking amongst themselves with the same questions Castiel still wants to ask. He’s lucky that Michael and Lucifer didn’t witness it, though they’ve probably heard of it by now. It’s a wonder that Anna hasn’t stopped and noticed what everyone is whispering about.

Actually – it’s _just_ the bright-fin who seem perturbed by this. The fang-fin stopped in surprise, but they have all started going on their way yet again. Do they not care that two males just kissed? Is it normal for that to happen among the fang-fin? Is it just the bright-kin who have different views of this? But it seems so odd that the fang-fin wouldn’t care about how pointless it is for males to engage each other like that. It’s just – this is unheard of. Or, at least, it is to _him_.

 _(Oh!)_ Anna comes to a sharp stop and, for a moment, Castiel thinks it’s because someone just told her about the kiss. She _is_ staring at Dean, after all. Of course, she rarely does what Castiel is expecting. _(It’s Green-eyes! I mean, this is **Dean**!)_

That’s right. They haven’t been introduced yet. _(Yes, yes this is.)_ He gestures between the two of them, joining their minds with him. _(Anna, this is Dean. Dean, this is my only sister, Anna.)_

Her fans flex slightly as she looks Dean over. _(I’ve heard a lot about you. Mostly bad.)_ Dean immediately tenses, but Anna’s soft smile eases him. _(But I haven’t heard any of that since I started hearing nothing but good. Castiel doesn’t often make friends, let alone with a **fang-fin**. He wanted to keep his friendship with you a secret but he couldn’t stop talking about you.)_ She laughs and leans over to nudge Castiel with her elbow.

Now really isn’t the time to bring that up, though Castiel does rather enjoy how it makes Dean smile. _(Cas has talked a lot about you too. He cares a whole hell of a lot for his family.)_

Anna slings an arm around Castiel’s shoulder, pulling him into a half-hug. _(That he does. And, speaking of family, Gabriel is going crazy in the auditorium because you, Michael, and Lucifer haven’t come back yet. Balthazar is managing him as best he can, but it’d be best if you three went back to let him know that you’re alive before he ends up making Metatron hate him even more than usual.)_

Castiel sighs and presses his lips together in a frown. _(That will have to wait. There’s something I need to speak with Dean about first.)_ At his words, Dean tenses again and he looks away.

Finally, Anna seems to pick up on the situation. She glances between them and tilts her head as she fills the kin-connection with her curiosity. Castiel refuses to say anything about it. She’s just going to make a big deal about it and he doesn’t want to talk about it with her. He wants to discuss this with Dean and find out _why_ he kissed him. It seems impossible that there is still more for him to learn about the fang-fin and this is something he just can’t let go right now.

 _(Alright then.)_ She shrugs and flips her tail forward to start swimming backwards and away from them. _(But don’t take too long, okay? Everyone in the trench is gathering in the auditorium to hear about what happened from the Council. I’m guessing that there’s going to be a lot to discuss about what we’re going to do from here on out.)_

Even after swimming away to find their other brothers, Anna still remains on the edges of Castiel’s mind. He stops paying attention to what she’s doing as soon as she’s out of his line of sight. His attention gets solely focused on Dean again. This is important and they _need_ to talk.

Dean starts before Castiel does. _(How much trouble am I in?)_

 _(None.)_ He shakes his head even as he reaches through the kin-connection to ease the ruffled, worried edges of Dean’s mind. _(I’m just confused. I don’t understand **why** you kissed me.)_

That seems to take Dean by surprise. His mouth opens and his eyes go wide. _(You – **really**? That’s the problem here? You just – You mean, you don’t hate me now?)_

Another frown creases Castiel’s forehead and his back-fans flick out with the beginning ticks of annoyance. _(I don’t believe this is something to hate you over.)_

Relief sweeps through the kin-connection in such a strong wave that it leaves Castiel’s mind reeling from it. Although the thought isn’t shared, he’s fairly certain that Dean likely just thanked Mother-sea in that moment. It’s very much a _Dean_ thing to do.

Another touch tickles the edge of his mind, distracting him from what could be a very important conversation with Dean. Never, in his life, has Castiel ever hated Michael’s touch in the kin-connection before. But right now he’s fairly close to feeling that. He actually flinches at the touch and his fans flare fully in annoyance.

_(What is it, Michael?)_

_(We’re all heading back now.)_

Castiel glances around, noting that many of the bright-fin are swimming away now. Those that stopped have started singing again. Even though they’re not staring anymore, Castiel knows that those who saw the kiss are still talking about it. They’re sharing what happened among them and, in no time at all, the entire colony is going to know that he was kissed by a fang-fin male. If Dean had been a female, the kiss would likely still talk about it, if only because it’s colony wide knowledge that Castiel has never had interest in anyone before – both romantic and sexual.

He grits his teeth hard enough that his jaw aches and looks toward where he knows Michael to be. _(I need to speak with Dean right now.)_

 _(And your **colony** needs you.) _ Michael’s thoughts take a hard edge to them. _(We need you present when we explain to the colony what happened here today.)_

This had got to be some kind of terrible joke. His family can’t be _that_ intrusive, can they? All he wants is to have a talk with his friend and clear up some of his confusion. Why can’t he be allowed that? The war is _over_. There shouldn’t be anything now that stops him from getting to spend time with Dean. This is even more ridiculous than the idea of two males kissing. Although… The more he thinks that, the more appealing it is. And, if he allows himself to think it, it is _definitely_ more appealing with Dean involved.

Speaking of Dean, he’s fidgeting more than Castiel has ever seen him do before. He’s treading water like normal, but his tail is flicking more than usual in quick, sharp jerks. If he had fans like Castiel does, they would likely be flexing rapidly.

 _(Go with your colony, Cas.)_ Dean gives him a small smile, though it’s shaky and his thoughts tremble with it. _(We can – um – We can talk about this again later.)_

Castiel’s upper lip curls back slightly, baring his fangs. _(Yes, we absolutely will. We are **not** done with this.) _ There are too many questions and things to learn for him to pass this up. With some effort, he forces himself to calm down at least somewhat. _(Thank you for all your help, Dean. I hope you get some rest today. You certainly deserve it.)_

That shaky smile grows more confident and Dean’s mind steadies itself slightly. _(You too, Cas.)_

With a nod, Castiel turns on his tail and swims off after his family and colony. Rather than wait to feel for the kin-connection to grow thin and break on its own from distance, he opts instead to close it completely. At least the swim back to the trench might give him the time to think about what just happened. Actually, he should just put it off for now. It can be thought about when he’s alone on his sleep shelf. Right now, Castiel should be concentrating on what’s about to happen next with his colony.

Despite that decision, Castiel finds those thought lingering at the back of his mind the whole time that he’s sitting on one of the many viewing platforms carved out around the Council’s auditorium. Everyone is exhausted after today’s battle, but it’s a testament to the strength of the Council and their dedication to the colony that they’re still willing to have this meeting to share everything that happened. And, of course, that leads into a discussion of what is going to happen from now on.

 _(The choice is obvious.)_ Raphael raises his voice above all others in the kin-connection, reiterating the opinion he’s been sticking to since the war began. _(The fang-fin have caused us nothing but trouble since they arrived. Now that the war is over and they’ve learned the error of their ways, they should leave this area. It’s **ours**.)_

Castiel’s hand shake in his lap with the effort to restrain himself from speaking out against him. That way of thinking is so _wrong_ that he barely even knows where to start debating it. Anna and Balthazar seem to be of the same line of thinking. The both of them have their hands on Castiel’s shoulders, as if they’re trying to hold him back.

Thankfully, where Castiel can’t speak out, his brothers can. And Gabriel has the exact lack of tact that Castiel wants to use right now. _(With all due respect, Raphael, shut the hell up.)_

Michael’s disapproval at Gabriel’s choice of words is communicated purely with a frown. Other than that, he does nothing to reprimand him. Instead, he turns his gaze to the gathered bright-fin – and specifically on Castiel. He raises his hand and makes a _come here_ kind of gesture. This is both expected and not. Of course the reigning expert on fang-fin would be asked to speak.

Castiel sighs and makes his way down to the dais that he is well familiar with by now. Raphael is brimming with discontent for being interrupted, but he doesn’t dare speak over Michael as he address Castiel. _(You have had the most personal contact with the fang-fin out of everyone in our colony. We would like to hear your opinions on whether or not you think the fang-fin should stay.)_

Amusement dances between Anna and Balthazar in the link he shares with them. Anna almost laughs as she nudges Balthazar, speaking only so he and Castiel can hear her. _(If we leave it to Castiel, the fang-fin are going to stay around forever.)_

Ignoring them, Castiel opens the kin-connection to the whole colony. His opinion now is not just for the Council. _(In all truthfulness, the fang-fin are more aggressive and vicious than us. We’ve seen it on the battlefield first hand. But that is during a **war**. Outside of that, their aggression is constrained to their own colony.)_

That starts up a murmur of discussion among the gathered colony, but Castiel doesn’t stop there. He’s not going to give them the chance to the form the incorrect opinions about this. _(But we are no different than them. We can be mean to one another, and we spar often. Our aggression is spent in our training and our hunting. It’s merely how we deal with it that is different than them.)_

Castiel’s adipose fins ripple along his table as he makes his argument. Anyone who has yet to figure out that he’s going to argue in favour of the fang-fin staying, then they’re about to be very surprised. _(I’ve shared the kin-connection with many of the rebel fang-fin over the last season. All those that I’ve touched have been truly remorseful for the actions they made without the knowledge of the lies they had been told.)_

He shares his direct memories to add evidence to his words. Castiel lets those sink in before he continues, though he doesn’t wait so long as to let someone else start speaking over him. _(I believe, with all my heart, that had the entire colony known we had originally offered them peace, they would have accepted it right from the very beginning. I have no doubt in my mind that if we offered them a home here on the far end of our trench, we would be able to live with them peacefully.)_

His suggestion causes a bit of an uproar. No one is outright disagreeing with him, but the discussion grows louder as they talk it over. Both Castiel and the Council let them do it for a little while. When he’s ready to continue, Castiel nudges Michael through their link and he’s the one who gets the colony’s attention again.

Now this next bit might be a little dangerous. It requires Castiel to swim the line between what is and isn’t allowed of him as a colony member. But it won’t be the first time he’s disagreed with something Raphael has said. Though he might get in trouble for pointedly calling him out on it.

 _(What you just said about claiming this area as **ours** is part of the lie that the former fang-fin Council told their colony.) _ There is no going about this easily. If necessary, Castiel will be as blunt as he has to be. _(The belief that we wouldn’t share this bountiful area with them is what aroused the fang-fin colony into waging war with us for these past seasons. Doing so again would be a contradiction to what so many of us have lost our lives fighting for.)_

Irritation flares shortly in the kin-connection before Raphael smothers it. He doesn’t deny what he said, but at least he’s not defending it. Castiel considers that both a win and permission to continue. _(What the fang-fin need now is guidance. They’re in a difficult position where they have no Council of their own anymore. The way they’ve done things until now – ruling by strength and fear – will only get them so far. They need **proper** leadership and I think it is our duty to help them in all that we can.)_

 _(We have helped one another for ages. Now it’s our turn to help those who might tear themselves apart and be lost to Mother-sea if we turn them away.)_ It might be a tad dramatic, but Castiel is trying his hardest to appeal to the caring nature he knows many in his colony possess. _(Can we really allow ourselves to be responsible for the end of another colony when our kind are spread so few and far between in these great oceans of ours?)_

There might be some selfishness involved in his request, but Castiel doesn’t let any of those feelings carry over into his announcement. His own wants and desires don’t matter here. What is important is the wellbeing of both colonies. Granted Castiel absolutely loves being friends with Dean and Sam, and Jess and Jo and many of the other rebels. These are fin-kin who is _hasn’t_ known from birth and who _aren’t_ related to him.

As far as he can tell, there is nothing new to learn about anyone in his own colony. Everything that can be known is already shared as gossip within moments of it happening. But the fang-fin are still new and exciting for him. There is still so much for Castiel to learn from them. They still have all manner of stories that Dean hasn’t shared with him yet. There is history from generations passed down through memories that Castiel has yet to see yet. And he wants so badly to learn all about it – about everything the fang-fin know of the sea beyond the trench.

He wants to know every species of fish that Dean has ever seen. And Dean hasn’t told him yet what it’s like to swim through the twisted metal wreckage of a two-tail’s floating-reef. Castiel _knows_ they’ve been to one. Sam said that’s where they got the linked metal that they used to keep him in the cave – the same metal rope they used on Abaddon and Eve when they were taking them away.

There is just _so much_ to learn still. And, if Castiel is actually being truthful to himself, he wants to learn it all from Dean. He truly enjoys spending time with him. Keeping company with Dean is fun and Castiel has never had a dull moment with him. Though Dean can sometimes be rough and brutish, he’s also very engaging and more often than not, thinking about him brings a smile to Castiel’s face. In fact, Dean was able to make him smile in the midst of a _war_ – and not even his family was able to really do that.

And then, of course, there is what he wants to know most of all right now. _Why_ did Dean _kiss_ him?

 _(Thank you, Castiel.)_ Michael smiles and gestures back towards Balthazar and Anna, a clear dismissal. _(We will continue thinking about this over the next few days. Before we close the colony discussion to talk amongst the Council, is there anyone here who sees reason as to why we **shouldn’t** help these distant kin of ours?)_

Castiel hides his smile as he returns to sitting with Anna and Balthazar. Michael is being sneaky. By referring to them as kin, he’s making the fang-fin more relatable to the colony. But even that might not be enough to bring the bright-fin around to actually helping the fang-fin. In any case, Castiel is going to open a prayer to Mother-sea in the hopes that she’ll help sway their decision.

At Michael’s question, Raphael flares his fans. He sits forward and shakes the kin-connection as though he were ready to speak. But no words make it to the kin-connection. Instead, Michael looks at him sharply and the two of them engage in a very serious staring contest. Clearly they are having a private and heated conversation between themselves.

To everyone’s surprise, Raphael’s fans flare in aggression at one point and he bares his teeth with a hiss. Michael responds in kind and immediately Gabriel and Lucifer are at his sides. From their seats, Anna, Balthazar and Castiel all rise up. They don’t swim down _just_ yet, but they’re ready for anything. It would reflect badly on their family for all of them to join in a fight against one of the Council members, but those are their _brothers_ down there. Regardless of the Council being involved or not, they will absolutely intervene if a fight breaks out.

The water in the auditorium feels thick with everyone’s surprise. They’re all waiting to see what’s going to happen. No one is talking in the kin-connection, watching with baited breath. Castiel feels like he doesn’t breathe again until something happens. In this case, that something is nothing.

Raphael sits back on his pillar and wraps his tail around it tightly. He crosses his arms tightly across his chest and looks away from the rest of the Council – aside from Metatron, who hadn’t made any motion to join the rest of the Council in what they were doing.

 _(I don’t know why you’re bothering to hold this tribunal in the first place. You’ve already made up your mind about this.)_ The words come on bitter, hateful thoughts. Raphael holds no love for the fang-fin and he’s making it painfully obvious to the entire colony.

Surprisingly, Metatron is the one who rises to Michael’s defense. _(Well, Castiel **was** rather convincing.)_

 _(The word you’re looking for is **favouritism**.) _ Raphael all but sneers the thoughts, and he throws an unhappy glare in Castiel’s direction.

Metatron shrugs and smooths a hand over his lap. _(Perhaps. But I don’t hear any other members of our colony speaking out against the fang-fin right now. Do you?)_ He pins Raphael with the kind of look meant to keep him from speaking again. _(It was only a few of the fang-fin who acted maliciously against us. If our positions were reversed and it was **me** who commanded the colony under a lie, would you blame me or the colony for my actions?)_

Without missing a beat, Gabriel leans forward with an answer. _(You.)_

His lack of hesitation draws a few scattered laughs and flares of amusement in the kin-connection. But Michael speaks over them, playing off the foundation Metatron has built. _(He’s right. It’s only those who acted with full knowledge of their actions that we should hold accountable for what the fang-fin Council did. For this whole war, half their colony has fought us thinking that **we** were the ones declaring war. They are not the ones at fault here.)_

 _(Fine!)_ Raphael throws his hands up. _(Do whatever you want. I don’t care. If this colony falls to ruin, it won’t be **my** fault. If you want to let our enemies live with us, go right ahead.)_

 _(Sweet Mother-sea would you calm yourself already?)_ Lucifer’s reprimand is sharp and annoyed. Clearly he’s fed up with Raphael being a stubborn fool – although Castiel can see where he’s coming from with his points. _(Michael said that we’re still going to talk about it. There’s still plenty for us to figure out.)_

Balthazar is the one who calls out to the Council. _(Like what?)_

He gets a pointed look for his interruption, but Michael still answers him. _(Things like how many guards we’ll post between the halves of the trench. We’re going to trust the fang-fin to a certain degree, but they’re going to need to earn our full trust through the formation of our peace treaty.)_

 _(What about the prisoners we have in our caves?)_ Someone else sitting on the other side of the auditorium slips the question into the kin-connection. _(And don’t they have their former leaders imprisoned at their camp? What about them?)_

Those are very good questions, and the Council has no problem turning them over to Castiel. Michael twists on his pillar to look at him. _(You spoke with one of the heads of the rebellion. What did Dean have to say regarding that?)_

This is not something Castiel wants to tell them about. But being candid with each other is exactly what Dean envies about their colony, so why change that now? _(The prisoners that we have are loyalists – the ones who refuse to believe what we’ve shared about their Council and the ones who knew about the entire plan. From my understanding, they’ll have one chance to join the colony again. If not, they and the surviving Council members are going to be dealt with in the fang-fin way.)_

Gabriel’s curiosity is piqued by that and he brushes it across Castiel’s mind. As the member of the Council who metes out punishments, of course he would be interested in learning of how the fang-fin punish their own.

Well, he might as well not draw this out any further than this. _(They will most likely kill them.)_ Shock flares through the colony, but Castiel ignores it in favour of explaining why. _(According to Dean, the fang-fin don’t like to take chances when it comes to exiling violent liars. That comes with the risk of them returning with stronger forces in the future. Especially if they’ll be exiling a group like what we have in our caves right now.)_

Of everyone in the colony, Lucifer seems the least perturbed by this news. _(Let the fang-fin deal with themselves in their own way. They were the ones who were betrayed by their own kin.)_ He shrugs and leans back on his pillar. _(No matter how brutal their punishment might be, it’s their own decision on how they want to handle those who cost them their lives and ours.)_

 _(It sounds like we’re willing to settle on a decision about what to do with the fang-fin now rather than later.)_ Metatron points out what Castiel has failed to notice to this point. It makes him sit up a little straighter and his fans flex in excitement. _(Or do we still plan to discuss this matter further?)_

 _(That depends on whether anyone has anything else to say.)_ Michael spreads his arm in a gestures to encompass the whole colony. _(Please, do not hesitate to raise your voice. We’d like to hear your opinion. If they stay, the fang-fin will be just as much your neighbours as ours.)_

Murmurs of thought streak the kin-connection as various members of the colony speak amongst themselves. Castiel waits in tense silence, forcing himself not to monitor each and every conversation. He knows what _he_ wants, but if the colony decides against it, he can’t force them to allow the fang-fin to stay – no matter how much he wishes he could.

While the colony talks – with no one speaking out – the colony puts their own heads together. It’s a private conversation they share, and it only makes Castiel more nervous and he twists his fingers in the untorn section of one of his adipose fins. There is every possibility that Raphael could convince his brothers otherwise. Metatron seems capable of switching sides in the debate without issue too. Waiting is _unbearable_ and he’s just shy of breaking away from the auditorium wall to swim in anxious circles.

From what he can tell with the kin-connection, everyone is worried about having the fang-fin stay so close, but no one is outwardly opposing it. Perhaps they’re just too torn on the matter? Castiel can understand. On one hand, they’ve lost colony members to the hands of the fang-fin – rebels and loyalists alike. On the other, it would be cruel of them to turn away another colony when they might not find another place to settle for a very long time.

Finally, Michael swims off his pillar and swims to the very center of the auditorium. _(We have reached our decision. This is your last chance to share your voice and send us back into discussion.)_ He waits a few moments, but silence is all that follows his announcement.

Castiel can already guess at what the decision was – going purely by the seething displeasure Raphael is allowing to leak into the kin-connection. He’s practically vibrating in place during while Michael waits long enough to give everyone time to speak. No one does and Michael shares with the colony his delight of how accepting they are. He wastes no time with making his announcement and formally announcing the Council’s decision to let the fang-fin share the trench – as long as they meet some requirements regarding a peace treaty.

By the time the last words are said, Castiel is already swimming out of the auditorium. He fills the kin-connection with his gratefulness and his happiness. They get to _stay_! Castiel can see Dean every day now and no amount of sneaking will be required. This is an amazing feeling and he has to share it with Dean immediately. His colony should have at least some good news right now. It must be a huge weight on their shoulders to be wondering where they’re going to live after this.

Michael’s link grows thin the further Castiel gets from the trench, but he still shares a thought with him shortly before it breaks. _(When you get back, Castiel, I would like to have a word with you.)_

There’s a foreboding edge to his words and it’s enough to make Castiel hesitate going further. _(What kind of words?)_

 _(You know what kind of words.)_ The image is strained, but Castiel gets to see from Michael’s perspective of what that kiss from Dean looked like.

He elects not to answer and keeps swimming. Actually, Castiel is rather surprised that no one is stopping him or warning him not to go alone into the bright-fin area. This is probably something he shouldn’t be doing until a peace treaty has been officially decided upon. But he doesn’t care. And Castiel fully trusts in the rebels and in Dean. With the Council done with and the rebels in control, he is certain that he’ll be well taken care of in their company.

It’s a bit of a swim, but it feels like Castiel reaches them in no time at all. He’s already stretching the kin-connection forward, searching for Dean’s mind the moment he starts feeling the bright lights of fin-kin consciousnesses. By the time he reaches the actual camp, he hasn’t been able to find him. The first rebel Castiel finds that he knows by name is Jo.

She makes a link with him the moment she realizes who is trying to speak to her. _(I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.)_

 _(I come with good news.)_ He circles around her, not wanting to break his momentum before finding Dean. _(But have you seen Dean? I haven’t been able to feel him yet.)_

Jo points off in a direction away from the camp. _(He said he was hungry so he went hunting.)_ After a moment, she adds on another thought. _(Though, if you ask me, I think he was more **upset** than anything. He likes to hunt when he’s feeling like that.)_

 _(Thank you.)_ Castiel banks to the side and heads off in the direction she indicated. Why would Dean be upset? Is it because of what he did? He seemed more upset about the kiss than Castiel was, and he’s the one who initiated it in the first place.

 _(Hey, wait!)_ Jo calls after him, though she doesn’t follow. _(What good news do you have?)_

Oh! How could he have forgotten to share that? _(The Council has decided that your colony can live in the unused portion of our trench. Feel free to spread that amongst yourselves!)_ Castiel rings the words with his glowing delight. Maybe it will be a comfort for the fang-fin to know that at least one bright-fin is actually happy to have them stay.

Surprise flares sharply through the kin-connection, followed shortly by a wave of relief. Castiel can’t help smiling. If _Jo_ feels like that, then he can’t wait to see how Dean is going to take the news.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of all the things Castiel thought he could learn about the fang-fin, he never once considered this would be a part of it. He does his best to just _listen_ while Dean explains concepts that he never would have thought of before. Actually, no, that’s not true. Castiel _has_ thought of this before. But that was only once when he was much younger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

With a snarl, Dean darts forward and seizes a long crab from where it’s trying to hide between the rocks. Its pincers flail and clack, but he stays clear of them, grabbing the base of one and ripping it free. The crabs legs kick but Dean ignores how they tickle his side. He sucks the meat from the claw arm, cracking the hard shell with his teeth to get at the juicier pieces. At this point, he’s not even hungry but all he can do is eat and that’s what he’s going to fucking do until someone stops him.

See, when Dean gets worried, he gets angry. And when he gets angry, Dean likes to find the nearest thing and _rip it to pieces_. In this case, that’s eating anything he can find. It _used_ to be finding someone for a good fight and making each other bleed. But he’s sick of fighting. Dean’s had enough of that to last a lifetime. So, he’s going to eat until his stomach can’t fit anything else – and that’s probably going to take a really long time.

Sam likes to tell Dean that his personality is a lot like the shark that his scales resemble. That he’ll eat anything and everything as long as it’s edible and not another fin-kin. Fuck Sam and his need to learn everything about everything. He learned all that shit on his own. It’s not even like fang-fin spend a whole lot of time around sharks, but they don’t fear them as much as Cas seems to. In fact, one of the coolest moments of Dean’s life was swimming with a school of actual sharks. The whole colony had swam through the school and every single one of them was on high alert in case a frenzy happened. But it didn’t, so that whole thing was pretty sweet.

And that whole memory feels sour now because Dean hasn’t shared it with Cas yet. Cas was all super excited to learn so much about him, about everything outside of this trench area, and now he’s not going to be able to tell Cas anything. Which means that he’s probably never going to get to see Cas smile again, or feel him get that excited little thrill that he tries to hide every time they talk about something _new_ for him. All of that is just _done_ now. Gone. Over with.

Growling, Dean tears off the next pincer and sets in on that arm. This whole pile of fish-shit is stressing him the hell out. And when he’s stressed, Dean eats. Stressed and angry and worried and sad and he _hates_ feeling all these things at once. It’s shit. It sucks and he still wants to just _sleep_. But they wouldn’t let him sleep. Saying he was hungry and wanted something to eat was the only escape he could use to get away from the colony for a bit.

Augh. His _colony_. The whole thing is on the brink of collapse right now. They don’t have any leaders right now and no one is swimming forward to take the positions. Half the colony is gathered together discussing it, throwing out names that no one else is agreeing with. It was driving Dean crazy and he couldn’t stick around for more than three names. Although he really did agree when someone suggested that Bobby and Ellen be a part of the Council.

That would be cool, actually. But Dean can’t bring himself to want to participate in anything he’s supposed to. He’s still got this great big bubble of _hate_ hanging over his head. It’s like a two-tail’s floating reef is following him wherever he goes right now. And all this upset is just for the stupidest fucking reason. So what if he might’ve ruined something by kissing Cas? Things were already ruined. Cas is a bright-fin and Dean is a fang-fin and they’re probably never going to see each other again. If they _do_ see one another, it’s likely just going to be when someone comes to tell the colony that it’s time they move the fuck on.

Sam _tried_ to cheer Dean up about this before he went off to eat, but it didn’t really work. No, it doesn’t make Dean feel any better to think that the bright-fin have different traditions then the fang-fin do and that could be why Cas reacted like he did. But is that really it? Did Cas act so weird because Dean just fucked up how he’s used to being courted? No, that can’t be it. That doesn’t sound like Cas to him. He’s the most aware out of every one about the differences between their colonies.

What does it fucking matter in the end though? It’s not like he’s ever going to get to see Cas again anyways. He might as well just forget all about this, gorge himself until he can’t even swim, and then sleep until someone comes to find him because it’s time to move on from this place. Yeah, that sounds like a fan-fucking-tastic plan.

Dean is still stuffing his face with the long crab when he feels another mind brush against his own. It’s a touch that he’s come to know quite well and it sends his pulse pounding through him. His head pops up and he glances around, calling out echoes for the source of it. Cas is here – or on his way here – but where is he coming from? Why? Shouldn’t he still be in talks with his colony, or at the very least be resting up after a hard fought battle?

Accepting the touch is second nature to him now. There’s no doubt in his mind that this it’s Cas coming to him now. Aside from the fact that he can _feel_ him, there’s really just no one else around. He can still feel the faint buzzing voices of the fang-fin colony somewhere in the depths of the kin-connection. Contrary to that, Cas’s presence in the kin-connection is much stronger and getting closer with each passing breath.

The moment Dean opens to Cas’s touch, there’s a flood of emotions he _really_ wasn’t expecting. Cas has been so shut down with him before Michael took him away that Dean figured he wouldn’t get to feel any of Cas’s emotions again. Now there’s a swirling tide of them pouring through their link, filling Dean’s head with concern, curiosity, excitement, nervousness, and a million other lesser feelings that don’t stand out as much as the others.

It’s enough to make Dean worry more. Are any of those meant to be _good_ feelings? _(Cas?)_ He prods at the edges of Cas’s mind through the kin-connection, trying to hopefully get something out of him. _(You alright there, buddy?)_

Why can’t he see Cas anywhere? At the very least, Dean should be able to see his glow approaching from a distance. And yet, there’s nothing. Is Cas hiding himself? Did he swim up where Dean wouldn’t be able to see him? Or is he hiding himself around the rocks scattered in this area? What about –

Dean’s deductive processes stop suddenly the moment he realizes exactly _where_ Cas is. The sensory receptors in the tips of his fins and along the hard ridges of his heads-fins light up with sensation as soon as he feels another body in the water around him. Even though he had fish swimming all around him, the low key tingle those caused have _nothing_ on the numbing feeling of having someone swimming _extremely_ close. So close that Dean’s heart almost fails when Cas taps him on the top of his head.

 _(The war is over, Dean, but you shouldn’t leave yourself so unguarded.)_ Cas’s words are tinged with a reprimand, but the smile on his lips utterly ruins it. He flips down from above Dean to float in front of him, his glow completely muted. _(You never know what kind of bright-fin might come after you for revenge.)_

With a snort, Dean tosses the rest of the crabs aside. _(A bright-fin like **you**?)_

He doesn’t really mean it like that. It’s just a joke to hide up how freaking _excited_ Dean is feeling to have Cas around again. If he wasn’t making sure to keep control of himself, he’d be fidgeting or swimming circles around Cas. Or, better yet, he’d start up another chase like they had earlier. Only this time he won’t be stupid enough to let instinct take over to the point where he’d actually _kiss_ Cas again. Dean learned his lesson with that and if he’s ever going to get the chance to do that again, then he’s going to damn well ask _permission_ first.

Cas’s smile turns sad and he looks away. His glow comes back slowly, and even though it hurts Dean’s eyes a little, he’s still happy for it. Things just don’t feel right if Cas isn’t glowing. _(I’ve lost friends in this war – fin-kin that I grew up with – but I don’t want revenge for their lives.)_ He looks back at Dean with an almost shy look, his smile turning gentle. _(Not against you, at least.)_

Okay, _wow_. That lifted Dean’s spirits a hundred fold and it was only – like – four words? Five? Who cares! Dean has to bite his bottom lip to keep from breaking out into the biggest smile the ocean has ever seen. His little bubble of excitement grows into one of _joy_. Does this mean that Cas doesn’t hold anything against him for what he’s done? This is probably the closest Dean’s ever going to get to actually being forgiven for how fucking _stupid_ he was at the beginning of this war.

Maybe that’s why he can’t resist prompting a little further. _(Oh?)_

He wants to know for sure whether or not Cas forgives him. Dean _needs_ to know. He’s never going to feel completely satisfied if Cas doesn’t forgive him before they never see each other again. Except that it’s not really something Dean can bring himself to ask for. He _could_ , but what if Cas says no? What if Cas gets fed up with him and they part on a worse note than that kiss? Nope, Dean is _not_ having that. Not by a long shot and sure as hell not if he can help it.

Cas’s lips press into a thin line and the edges of his thoughts turn a little harder. He turns to look back towards the colony. _(The only ones I want punished for what happened to my colony and yours are the ones actually responsible for it.)_ His hands ball into fists and Dean watches as Cas forces them to relax again. _(I know that those responsible will get their comeuppance when we return them to you.)_

Y’know, Dean really isn’t feeling this heavy conversation topic. Chances are, Cas is probably just waiting for the right opportunity to bring up what happened at the battle field. If that’s not the reason for the way all his fins are twitching, then Dean will be disappointed to find that he doesn’t know Cas as well as he thinks he does. So, if that big _talk_ is looming in the very near future, wouldn’t it be a _really_ good idea for him to lighten Cas’s mood now?

That said, what Dean says next doesn’t really come off as joking as he intends it to. _(Oh, yeah? You guys are going to give them back, huh?)_

On the bright side, that makes Cas’s eyebrows furrow into a quizzical look that Dean finds downright adorable. He turns a confused look to Dean, frowning slightly. _(Of course we are. We might not agree with how you plan to punish them to the full extent of your laws, but we are of the understanding that our colonies have different ways of dealing with things.)_

Understatement.

Cas is quiet for a heartbeat before he drifts closer. It makes Dean’s heart skip slightly, especially when Cas gives him those wide eyes that reflect the light of the glow spots on his cheeks. _(Are you really going to kill them all?)_

Fuck. Dean looks away and angles his hands so that he drifts back from Cas while he treads the water. It leaves a sour, sick-like burn in his throat whenever the topic of _killing_ comes up. He’s come to _hate_ the part of him that grew up being as bloody and violent as he was – as that part of him still wants to be. There’s that dark voice in the back of his head just _screaming_ for the blood of everyone who wronged him over these last few seasons. But that would mean being that monster again – the kind of monster that Dean doesn’t ever want Cas to see him as.

A hand on his arm and concern in the kin-connection brings him snapping back to himself. _(Dean?)_ Cas’s fingers are cool, but they send heat pooling under Dean’s skin.

Oh _shit_. This is worse than Dean thought it was. He has to take a deep breath and close his eyes to keep control of himself. From that one little touch, all Dean wants to do is reach out and pull Cas into a never ending hug. When did the touch of a _bright-fin_ start bringing Dean so much comfort?

He can’t resist putting his hand over Cas’s and giving it a small squeeze. _(It’s okay. I’m not going to do anything to them personally, but someone is gonna do it. They’ve betrayed all of us and the colony isn’t going to allow that to go unpunished.)_

Relief tickles into the kin-connection and Cas gives him a small smile. There’s approval mixed in with all of that and Dean clings to that. It’s better than trying to hold onto Cas’s hand any longer, especially when he moves to pull it away. Dean tightens his grip reflexively, but only for that one little instance before he lets go. He’s always cold, but it feels all the worse when Cas floats away. It puts just that little bit more space between them and it scares him. Dean doesn’t want to see it or worry about just how big that gap is going to be when they get around to this _talk_ that he’s still waiting for.

How much is Cas itching to bring it up?

When Cas’s intent to speak fills the kin-connection again, Dean nearly flinches from it. He doesn’t have the first damn clue how he’s going to explain why he kisses him. Somehow, he gets the feeling that “because I wanted to” isn’t going to be a decent enough reason. Not for Cas, at least. That curious son of a bitch is going to want to dig down to the _real_ dirt – to all the _emotions_ behind the actions. And that’s well outside of the territory that Dean knows how to deal with.

_(The Council decided on what they want to do with the rest of your colony.)_

Dean has to do a double take. He almost stops breathing. That wasn’t at all what he was expecting to hear. Well, not this _soon_ at least. A part of him knew that it was going to be the bright-fin’s decision on what happens from here on out. Do they stay? Do they go? The fang-fin colony can only really make their own decision once they have a Council again, and what they do is going to be kind of based off what the bright-fin say.

The only thing that wouldn’t matter is if the new Council decided to leave. And that would suck the big one for everyone. Regardless of the fact that they’ve been fighting a war for the last few seasons, everyone has gotten _comfortable_ here. There’s so much food, and space, and – well, they’re probably not as excited about there being bright-fin around as Dean is. And _he’s_ only excited about bright-fin because they’ve got Cas and Cas is awesome.

Holy shit. Idea of the season here! If they’re going to have to leave, why doesn’t Dean ask Cas to come with them? It’s obvious that Cas wants to learn more about the ocean. He’s the most curious fin-kin that Dean’s ever met. They could travel together and if Cas ever gets bored or wants to go home, the colony could backtrack and take him back. That shouldn’t be a big problem. As nomads, the fang-fin will pretty much go anywhere, and if they won’t then Dean will bring Cas back with Sam and Jess.

Yes, this could work. This could be the perfect solution that Dean was looking for. He could stay with Cas and Cas could satisfy that adventurous side of his personality. Now, Dean just needs to share this plan with him. Slowly, though. It’s something he needs to work up to. If he just blurts it out, he might scare Cas off and that would just ruin everything – as long as the kiss hasn’t already done that.

Okay, okay. He can do this. Sort of. _(What did they decide?)_ Dean’s previous worry comes back with a vengeance and he can’t keep all of it out of the kin-connection. _(Are we going to have to leave?)_ His plan won’t be necessary if the answer to that is “no”, but he still keeps it handy just in case.

When Cas looks at him again, Dean can’t read his expression or what it means when he tilts his head. The kin-connection is blanked of the majority of his emotions and it’s leaving Dean _really_ in the dark here – confused, worried, and maybe just a little bit hurt. He thought that they had reached the point where they had reached a point in their friendship where they were going to be more open with each other. Doesn’t that mean they wouldn’t hide so much anymore?

Cas’s thoughts have a musing edge, one that’s almost _teasing_ , to them when he finally speaks. _(You’re making it sound like you want to stay here, Dean. But didn’t you say that you thought it was weird to stay in one place?)_

Did he say that? Dean says a lot of stuff. He can’t be held accountable for remembering every last little thing now, can he? That’s just – Never mind. Not the point. _(Even if I did say that, I can still see why you guys stay here.)_ To stress his point, Dean gestures around at the literal _thousands_ of fish milling about. _(This is such a prosperous area. Any colony could survive here. They would **thrive** here.)_

A hum vibrates in the water between them and Cas’s fins all twitch, like he’s trying to keep them from spreading. _(The way you say that makes one believe that you might want to stay here.)_

Well _duh_. Dean figured that was easy enough to say. _(I could survive anywhere, Cas. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. But this is the first time we’ve found a place where I **really** want to stay.)_ And it’s not just for the fact that his colony might actually have a shot at growing here. Every season carves away at them, dropping their numbers little by little. If they keep travelling and fighting like they do, not even the hatchlings will be enough to replace their numbers.

 _(I can see why you would want to stay.)_ Cas looks away and he drifts back a little further from him. Is that _disappointment_ Dean feels around his thoughts? _(This is a very good area and could easily sustain your colony and mine for generations. It’s –)_

Time to go all or nothing on this. _(I want to stay because of the **company** we’d be keeping, Cas.) _Dean swims forward and he doesn’t hesitate to reach out to catch Cas’s hand. _(The food is a perk, but I can usually find that just about anywhere.)_ There’s only one Cas in this ocean and Dean is _not_ ready to leave him any time soon – even though he knows he’s probably going to have to, and soon.

By some miracle of Mother-sea, Cas doesn’t pull away immediately. He does, however, look down at their hands. Dean doesn’t like how empty the kin-connection feels without all of Cas’s usual emotions in it. They’ve become such a staple part of their friendship that it feels so _wrong_ not to have what little Cas always shares with him. He doesn’t share _everything_ all the time, but it’s way more than Dean would ever feel from another non-family fang-fin.

With the way Cas is staring at their hands, it looks like he’s thinking _very_ hard about something. He’s staring at their hands in the same way that Dean remembers from back in the cave. It’s equal parts nostalgic and terrifying. Is it because Dean is being too touchy? Should he let go? Should he just wait and see what the hell is going through Cas’s head? Is he ever going to be as open as he once was with Dean or has that trust just been completely shattered?

To his surprise – and holy shit _wow_ – Cas actually curls his fingers around Dean’s to hold his hand in return. He looks up and there’s a smile on his lips that looks like it could be shy, but it’s definitely bordering on sly. There’s something going on behind those eyes and Dean would kill to find out what – if he did that kind of shit anymore, that is.

_(You can stay.)_

Dean was kinda expecting Cas to say something after that look, but those three words still bounce around his head for a good chunk of time before their meaning sets in. His tail kicks in surprise, buoying him in place. _(You mean it?)_

 _(The Council has come to the decision to offer you and your colony the same that we did when you first arrived.)_ That shy/sly smile spreads until Cas is beaming at him almost as bright as his natural glow. _(They want to give you the other half the trench to call your own.)_

Reflexively, Dean tightens his grip on Cas’s hand. It’s not exactly a reflex, but he also swims closer – close enough to grab his shoulder with his other hand. _(Are you serious?)_ Of course he is, but Dean still has to ask – still has to be _sure_. He can’t deny how the kin-connection is just _brimming_ with the truth in Cas’s words. _(This is for real?)_

Cas nods and all his fins flare out in delight – which is the first _real_ emotion Dean gets from him. It’s like being mentally body slammed by a sea giant, and Dean welcomes every instance of it as it fills his head. _(There are a couple conditions, of course, but not a single member of the colony spoke out against the idea. I’m sure there are some doubters and some who aren’t happy with this and won’t be for a long time, but there was nearly unanimous agreement in the Council for this decision.)_

After a moment, Dean lets go completely. He lets go of Cas and his inhibitions and _swims_. This is the best damn news he’s gotten since – Okay, it’s not actually that long because the last good news was that the war was over, and that was just earlier today. But _still_. Holy _shit_! The bright-fin are okay with them staying? He can stay! No more roaming the open seas with his colony, worrying about where they’re going to bed down for the night or wondering how long they’re going to stay in a spot. Dean can make himself _comfortable_ here. He can – Holy fuck. He can actually stay with Cas.

Cas’s laughter is muffled by the water, but it’s clear through the kin-connection. He twists in place, watching Dean swim laps around the area or drawing in close to circle him. It’s not as tight or as fast a spiral as Cas can pull off, but it’s the best Dean can do. He’s _happy_ , dammit, and he’s not going to let anything take this away from him right now.

Oh shit – but wait. What if the colony doesn’t want to stay here anymore? What if they want to move on because this place has too many bad memories for them? Or what if they can’t meet the conditions the bright-fin colony is asking of them and they’re forced to leave? Fucking _shit_. What if he’s not allowed to actually stay with Cas anymore? Is it even possible for just _him_ to stay here? No, that’s not even an option. Dean could never leave Sam like that.

His swimming comes to an abrupt halt more or less exactly from where it started. _(What are the conditions, Cas? What do we have to do to stay?)_

Concern flickers slightly on the edges of Cas’s mind for a moment. He stares Dean down again with that calculating look of his before he shrugs. _(They didn’t give a full list, but I’m assuming that the Council is going to want to create a peace treaty with your colony – after you’ve formed a decent Council of your own.)_ He hums in thought and looks off into the distance. _(If I know my brothers, then someone on the Council will likely suggest that our two colonies should have ambassadors. A couple fin-kin who would sit in during all Council meetings of either colony.)_

Fuck. Dean frowns and lets himself sink until he’s sitting in the sand. Is this a good or a bad thing? Right now he can’t really tell. The colony is already in the process of trying to get themselves some form of leadership, but what about the rest? Will they be able to find peace enough amongst themselves to make an actual treaty with the bright-fin? And what will the treaty itself entail?

There’s too many questions for that particular topic for Dean to stop and think about right now. That’s going to be shit for the new Council to think about. It’ll probably be one of their first tasks, actually. And then that whole ambassador thing is kinda new too. Who the hell would they send to the bright-fin meetings? It would have to be someone with enough authority to speak on behalf of the colony and the Council. Not to mention someone who can keep their cool and be comfortable in the presence of bright-fin – especially being the _only_ fang-fin there, probably.

If he wanted to take the time to think about all of that right now, Dean could probably drum up a couple good names for that. But who would the bright-fin send? Okay, that’s not actually a question Dean needs to think about at all. Cas would be the absolute perfect ambassador. He’s courteous and patient and he knows more about the fang-fin than the rest of his colony combined. Not to mention that Dean would guard his tail like a shark if anyone even _dared_ to look at Cas the wrong way. No one would be safer in their colony than him.

Mother-sea, why does everything have to be so _complicated_? It’s making Dean’s head hurt just to think about it all! At least there’s one thing he can be sure of right now – and it’s that Cas still has excitement ringing around his mind. It’s a bit overshadowed by the unusual silence of his emotions, but it’s something, at least. This means that Cas is _happy_ with this news, even if he’s not really showing it. And if Cas is happy that the fang-fin are staying, then maybe that means he’s happy that _Dean_ is staying too.

Cas’s fins ruffle as he drifts down to sit with Dean. One of his hands strays to the side of his tail where he starts fiddling with that pliable fin running along his scales. He’s still staring out into the ocean and not looking at Dean. _(Does your colony need some advice or help on picking a good Council? I’m sure I could talk my Council into giving your colony some advice on how to pick **trustworthy** leaders.)_

Dean snorts a laugh and his gills ripple. _(Yeah, we might actually need that help. Anyone who wasn’t a rebel isn’t going to be trusted by a rebel, that’s for sure. I’ve got the feeling it’s going to take a long fucking time before they get their shit in order.)_ He shakes his head and leans forward on his elbows, resting them on his tail. _(Your colony is being **way** nicer about all this then I thought they would. You guys are a lot nicer than we were ever told you were.)_

That earns him an annoyed frown and Cas flicks at him through the kin-connection. _( **Obviously** we’re not like what your Council told you we were. I thought you knew that al-) _ He stops mid thought only to reach out with his tail and slap at Dean with it. _(You were making a joke!)_

A wide grin nearly cracks Dean’s cheeks in half and he throws his head back with a laugh. A joke was the only way he could think of breaking whatever _mood_ Cas is in right now. He’s not sure if it actually worked, but at least it got some kind of reaction.

There’s still a miffed edge to Cas’s thoughts when he turns his head away. _(We may be warriors too, Dean, but my colony has had peace for **ages**. We know it better than we do the ways of war.) _ His gills ripple with an annoyed huff. _(Our **experience** with **peace** could be a benefit to you. That’s all.)_

 _(I know, Cas. I’m just teasing.)_ Dean reaches out to pat the curl of Cas’s tail. It requires a bit of a stretch, but he’s going to do it anyways. Maybe the more he touches Cas, the sooner Cas will get over whatever is holding him back from getting to the _real_ deal here. If he thinks Dean isn’t well aware that Cas still wants to talk about the kiss. He’s probably just biding his time until he finds a good point to bring it up.

Well now, isn’t this his lucky day? Because these other topics are making Dean’s head hurt. So he’ll be the one to give him that opening.

Dean uses a little bit of wiggling and a little bit of hand pawing to bring him closer – close enough for him to catch Cas’s hand. _(Thanks, Cas.)_

 _(For what?)_ Confusion filters into the kin-connection, but at least it gets Cas to look at him again. Maybe it’s a reflex, but Cas’s fingers fold around his, like he’s holding his hand again.

He shrugs and can’t resist rubbing his thumb over Cas’s knuckles. There are black marks, like his scales, over them, but he can’t feel any difference between it and Cas’s skin. _(Well, you’re the one who put in a good word for us, right?)_

Cas ducks his head, including looking down at their hands. That confusion is still there at the edge of his mind, but Dean picks up on a sense of wonder too. Does that mean he likes this kind of touch? He was alright with the way they were sorta hugging when they caught each other earlier. But is _this_ okay? Is this something Dean could keep doing if they – if things really do work out well for them? Maybe? Alright, that’s going to hurt his head to keep thinking about that. Right now, he’s going to play this one small swim forward at a time.

 _(You helped us and that deserves our thanks, Cas.)_ Dean gives his hand a squeeze and tries to catch his eyes for a smile. _(Especially since you did that even though you’re mad at me.)_

In an instant, Cas’s head pops up and his fins flare wide in surprise. _(I’m not angry with you.)_ He shakes his head and his grip on Dean’s hand tightens. _(Why would I be **mad** at you?) _ The kin-connection fills with concern and apology, like Cas is actually upset that he might’ve hurt Dean in some way.

This is an interesting turn of event. Dean really did think that Cas was annoyed with him at the very least. But this is – well, this is pretty unexpected. He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to. _(You’re not mad that I kissed you?)_

_(Of course not.)_

Dean frowns. Then what the hell was everything about earlier? _(You sure as hell didn’t look **happy** about it.) _ Which is pretty much the exact opposite kind of reaction anyone should have after being kissed by _him_ – or, at least that’s how it’s always been so far.

Cas’s expression screws up into one that Dean has no idea how to read. It’s not exactly unhappy, but it’s a little bit confused and kind of annoyed. All of those emotions flash through the kin-connection one after another before Cas gets a hold on his emotions again.

 _(What part of that kiss am I supposed to be happy about? Not only did you catch me by surprise, you did it **without** my permission **and** it was my first kiss.) _ His head-fins spread and narrow in as he breathes hard through his gills.

There isn’t even a shred of embarrassment in that statement. Dean is both impressed and obscenely pleased with this news. He got Cas’s first kiss? That’s amazing! He didn’t think he’d get any of Cas’s firsts – or, rather, he didn’t even know he wanted them in the first place. But, seriously? Cas has gotten _this far_ in life and he’s never been kissed? How is that even possible? Has he never experienced a mating season? This isn’t _unheard_ of, per se, but – It still catches Dean by surprise.

 _(And to top it all off, I was kissed by a **male**.) _ Cas doesn’t sound as upset about that as he could be, but Dean still takes offense to it. _(What part of that am I supposed to be **happy** about?)_

The honest confusion singing through his thoughts is just about the only thing that keeps Dean from withdrawing like he’d been clawed at. In fact, it makes _him_ confused too because what the fuck? _(Wait, wait, wait. Okay – I get that I should have asked first and I’m sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing that just – it just **happened**. But are you seriously more hung up on the fact that you were kissed by a **guy** than anything else right now?)_

Cas frowns and he pulls his hand away only to cross his arms and frown at him. _(Because it’s unheard of. I know bright-fin are smaller than fang-fin, but I’m clearly not female. Why would you want to kiss me?)_

Holy shit. Sam was right. _(Do bright-fin seriously not have same sex relationships?)_ This is almost impossible for Dean to wrap his head around it. It just seems so – _Really_? How do they not have a single fin-kin in their colony that likes the same sex? This is just blowing his mind.

His face gets even more crumpled and annoyance fills their link. Apparently Cas isn’t appreciating the complete and utter disbelief carrying Dean’s words. _(I’ve never heard of it before. It goes against biology! Two males simply cannot reproduce together. One of each sex is required.)_

Oh jeeze. Oh crap. Oh _wow_. Dean didn’t think he’d have to give another fin-kin _the talk_ until he had hatchlings of his own – if that ever happened. The last one he gave was to Sam when he finally came of age a whole mating season after Dean did. But now it’s starting to look like he’s going to have to tell Cas all about everything his colony is missing out on. Mother-sea, give him strength. How the _hell_ have the bright-fin been around this long and never discovered the pleasure of being with the same sex?

With a loud sigh through his gills, Dean shakes his head and reaches out to pat the curl of Cas’s tail. _(Oh man, have I got some news for you. Just sit and listen for a bit, okay?)_

He’s never had to deal with anyone who didn’t already think that it was perfectly normal if one fin-kin ended up with another fin-kin of the same sex. This is going to be just as new for him as it is for Cas, kinda. And hopefully it’s not going to be the think that _completely_ ruins their friendship – or any chances that their colonies might ever get along together.

* * *

Of all the things Castiel thought he could learn about the fang-fin, he never once considered this would be a part of it. He does his best to just _listen_ while Dean explains concepts that he never would have thought of before. Actually, no, that’s not true. Castiel _has_ thought of this before. But that was only once when he was much younger.

Throughout his lifetime, he has never had any interest in the females of the colony. Once upon a time he might have had a passing interest in the males, but those were such ridiculous thoughts that Castiel had promptly buried them. There was no point in wasting time in entertaining the idea that he might be attracted to males. Castiel knew that even if he asked anyone about it, they would have come to the same conclusions that he did.

Pursuing another male would have been absolutely pointless. They never would have been able to make a nest together, and isn’t that the whole point of a relationship and mating? Certainly he would have liked to have a partner he could love and be with like that, but would anyone in the colony accept that? It’s more acceptable for him to have no interest in anyone and never mate than it would be to take another male as his partner.

But everything Dean is telling him now is going against everything Castiel convinced himself of when he was a child. When he was young, Castiel took those beginning desires and ideas and he buried them as deep as he could inside of himself. It’s all getting dug up again now as Dean goes into a detailed explanation about just how _normal_ it is to be interested in members of the same sex.

 _(Hell, it’s even okay to not be interested in anyone at all.)_ Dean shrugs and spreads his arms. _(Seriously, Cas, there are **so** many kinds of sexualities out there. Guys and guys, girls and girls, guys and girls, or no one at all. Some relationships are purely emotional, and some are just physical. It happens how it happens and it’s no one’s place to tell anyone that how they feel is wrong.)_

To emphasize his points, Dean delves into his memories and shares them. First are images of Charlie and a female that Castiel doesn’t recognize, but they’re wrapped around each other in what could only be considered a rather _passionate_ embrace. Another memory surfaces of two males that Castiel doesn’t know either, but they’re curled together and holding hands as they sleep. One of them wears a necklace of tightly woven kelp holding a pearl at its center.

 _(That means they’re a bonded pair.)_ There’s a sappy smile on Dean’s lips as he explains the significance of the necklace. _(In our colony, if we want to make the bond with our mate, we find the biggest pearl we can and give it to them. If they accept, they find a way to make it into jewelry. Usually a necklace, but I’ve seen bracelets and belts. It’s actually one of the few possessions a fang-fin will guard with their lives, y’know? They’re that important to someone.)_

Oh, but that is a rather sweet custom. Learning about that is almost enough to distract Castiel from the rest of the very _new_ things that he’s learning right now. Almost.

 _(But what about having a nest?)_ Castiel fills the kin-connection with images of eggs and hatchlings. _(How can you continue the generations and expand upon your colony if you mate with someone you can’t make a nest with?)_

Dean pauses as if that’s a really good question, but it’s only for a moment. _(Well, there are other options, y’know. Even if I’m in love with another male and I’ve chosen him as my mate, I can still breed with a surrogate female. The kids would just have two dads and a mother. There’s nothing weird about that.)_ He shrugs again and gives Castiel a lopsided smile. _(And two mated females could always share a mating season with an unmated male to have a nest of their own. Nests are made all the time between fang-fin who aren’t in any kind of relationship. Doesn’t that happen for bright-fin too?)_

Castiel ducks his head in slight embarrassment, but he nods because yes, yes that does happen. Personally, he could never see himself having hatchlings with someone he doesn’t love, but that’s just him. And there are plenty of male and female pairings that could take up the slack of anyone else. But it’s still – it feels so _odd_ to consider same sex pairings as a viable option. Could Castiel see _himself_ with another male? He tries hard to imagine himself with anyone he knows from his own colony, but no one appeals to him.

As if by some kind of twisted cue, his mind chooses that moment to remind him of Dean’s kiss. Castiel struggles to keep the blush from showing in his cheeks, but he’s not sure how well he does. Colours are hard to differentiate in the deeps, even with his glow. But Dean might be able to tell what he’s thinking if he can pick out the fact that he’s blushing, regardless of whether he keeps those thoughts well hidden behind the walls of his mind.

 _(Besides, I’ve seen plenty of mated pairs adopting nests that lost their parents. Both pre and post hatching.)_ Dean shrugs again and leans back on his hands to stretch his tail out in front of him. _(If a mated pair wants kids bad enough, they’ll find a way. But as long as they love each other, it doesn’t really matter, right? As long as they’re all happy, that is.)_

Castiel nods and Dean feeds his delight into the kin-connection. Apparently it really pleases him to know that Castiel is accepting everything as he’s learning about it. Well, “accepting” might not be the right term for all of this. At the moment, he’s still just _processing_ all this information.

Dean smack his tail against the curl of Castiel’s own. _(I’m serious, Cas. Liking the same sex is no big deal. If your sister suddenly said that she fell in love with another female, could you really bring yourself to tell her that her love is wrong?)_

He can easily imagine the rage on Anna’s face Castiel even dared to say anything of the sort to her. _(Of course not. I understand what you’re explaining, Dean. But I have never, in my entire life, seen anyone from the colony partake in any of the relationships you’re explaining to me.)_

_(That doesn’t mean they don’t exist.)_

_(I didn’t say they didn’t.)_ Castiel shakes his head and looks away. This is all so _new_ and yet, at the same time, it doesn’t feel too weird. It doesn’t feel _wrong_ despite how that’s what he convinced himself of when he was reaching puberty.

This topic of conversation is making him feel restless. He pushes up and away from the ground, leaving Dean in a swirl of sand. It feels good to swim and it gives him a chance to think. Concern flares brightly through the kin-connection and Castiel soothes it with a touch. He’s not leaving, he just needs to _move_ and think. Castiel is no stranger to self-introspection, but he’s never had to re-evaluate everything he knows about himself and his colony.

As far as he can remember, he’s never _actually_ been attracted to a male before. He considered it once, but forced himself to ignore those feelings immediately. And as for his attraction to females… Well, that has never happened. He’s just never been interested in them, and now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t had any inkling of a feeling like that for a male either. Now the question is; _would_ he have felt such things for a male if he had grown up thinking that a relationship between two members of the same sex was acceptable?

It’s so hard to tell what might be different if he had grown up with the fang-fin way of thinking. Anything is possible if he hadn’t spent his entire life repressing any and every thought he might ever have. Castiel had been dead set since puberty that he was going to spend the rest of his life alone – purely because he had no interest in anyone when he was young. But it’s not like Castiel hasn’t cared for anyone in his lifetime. He _has_ cared for friends before, but now he can’t help but wonder – did he care for them as _more_ than friends?

And that brings to mind another question; what separates a friend from a lover? If he loves and cares for a friend, how is he supposed to tell that what he feels for a mate is different from them? A mate should still be a close friend, but they’re _more_ than a friend. It’s hurting Castiel’s head to try and figure out _how_ a mate would be more.

_(A mate makes your heart dance.)_

Maybe it was out of some hope that Dean might be able to help with this, but Castiel doesn’t bother hiding these thoughts from the kin-connection. He wants Dean’s input on this and Castiel turns around at the soft injection. Dean is swimming along behind him, not more than a few tail lengths away. Although Castiel drifts to a slow stop, Dean still continues, turning to carve a slow circle around him.

When Castiel silently urges him to continue, Dean expands upon his explanation. _(I don’t usually get sappy like this, but I’m only doing it so you can understand, okay?)_

_(Of course.)_

There’s still a vaguely uncomfortable edge to Dean’s words as he tries to detail it in a way Castiel can understand. _(A mate makes you want to sing even though you can’t. They make you smile when you didn’t think you could.)_ His circling comes to a stop in front of Castiel and he floats even to him, tail swinging forward and back beneath him as he treads the water. _(A lover is someone you want to make laugh and smile through every day. They’re someone you can’t stand to ever see sad.)_

But that still sounds like a friend to him and Castiel frowns. Or rather, what he would like to think a close friendship would be like. Castiel doesn’t have any friends like that. Actually, going by Dean’s explanations, it’s his _family_ that best fits these descriptions.

Dean’s nose crinkles when Castiel points that out. _(Point taken, but a lover is someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.)_ His tail twitches forward and Castiel can’t tell if it’s by accident or not that the hard end of his end-fin gently brushes over his scales. _(They’re someone you would want to wake up next to every day. And if being physical is your thing, then they’re someone you want to kiss and caress – someone you want to touch in ways that you **definitely** don’t touch family.)_

The examples Dean flashes through the kin-connection bring heat to Castiel’s face almost immediately and he looks away. Dean’s point has been made quite clearly though. Castiel had been focusing entirely on the emotional side of a relationship. Doing _physical_ things is what would really set apart a potential mate from other friends.

 _(Not always, though.)_ Dean interrupts his thoughts again. _(Sometimes there are fin-kin who want the emotional connection of a mate without the physical aspects. They might not like kissing, or touching, or sex, but they still want to be loved.)_

Castiel hums in acknowledgement. Is he like that, then? Or is he like the other kinds of fin-kin Dean mentioned who have no interest in anything emotional or physical? No, he’s not like that. Castiel resigned himself to being alone his entire life because he held no sexual interest in anyone so who would ever want him as their mate. Despite that, he still wants to have an emotional connection to someone. If someone could see him as Dean described, Castiel would love that. And he would love to be the one who saw that fin-kin in the same way.

Okay, so maybe he’s like that other one then. He’s never had interest in physical pleasure. When was the last time he even dealt with the needs of his body? It’s hard to remember. But that doesn’t mean that he’s not capable of it, right? Maybe he just needs the right fin-kin to catch his attention. If he actually has an _interest_ in someone, then maybe his body would react like it’s supposed to. He cares for a lot of fin-kin, but are there any of them that he would want to kiss?

And that’s when the realization strikes him. Castiel’s fans snap out in surprise and he looks back at Dean, eyes wide. _(You kissed me.)_

Dean tilts his head, eyes narrowing slightly like he’s trying to piece together what Castiel is trying to say without having him say it. _(Yeah, I did.)_

A weird sensation flutters in Castiel’s chest, squirming like a hundred jelly fish trapped in his ribs. _(Does that mean you love me?)_ Even in the kin-connection the question sounds small. It’s strained by Castiel’s worry about what Dean might say.

_(No.)_

The answer is quick, but Castiel feels it like a physical blow. Pain twists through the fluttery feeling and his adipose fin ripple unhappily. But that’s a curious reaction, to be sure. Does that mean Castiel _wanted_ Dean to say yes? Why?

Dean makes an odd humming noise in his throat, like he’s got a piece of fish bone stuck in it. He looks away and his tail wavers from side to side more than usual. Castiel immediately recognizes it as one of the ways Dean fidgets when he’s floating. But why is he fidgeting? Does he have something else to add to that? Would it alleviate this odd little pain zinging in his chest? Castiel pulses curiosity at him until Dean finally says something.

With a groan, Dean shoves his hands through his hair. _(It’s complicated, okay, Cas? **Love** is a complicated feeling and I don’t think I’m **in love** with you – not like you’re asking if I am.)_

He shrugs and twists away, starting to swim in circles again. With each turn around him, Dean throws little glances at Castiel. They’re the kind of look he used to use back in the cave when he was sizing Castiel up. It makes him feel like Dean is judging whether or not what he’s about to share next is something that should be said or not. Whatever it is, Castiel knows he wants to hear it. He’s not entirely sure _why_ he wants to know, but it would likely explain this numbing pain in his chest and the confusion filling his heart and his head.

Finally, Dean comes to a decision – and he comes to a stop facing Castiel again. _(Alright. I’m gonna say this once and you take what you want from it.)_

Castiel nods and pulses encouragement into the kin-connection for him to continue.

Dean takes a deep breath and releases it through his gills before sharing his thoughts. _(I like you. Like, **a lot**. Physically, I’m all for it right now. Emotionally? Not yet, but I’m pretty sure I could see myself falling for you one day.)_

Every word of Dean’s thoughts are ringed with an unfamiliar heat to them. It’s strangely profound and sits deep in Castiel’s chest. Is this what Dean feels for him right now? If he chased after those feelings and Dean _did_ come to love him some day, what would they feel like then? What might be even more surprising than Dean sharing those feelings is how much Castiel wants to find out what it would feel like to be loved by him.

The thought alone makes him blush and Castiel twists away, starting up a circling swim of his own. His side-fins twitch, catching the soft sound of disappointment Dean makes. It’s almost too quiet to hear, but it snares his attention nonetheless. Clearly his need to swim has been interpreted as a dismissal of his confession – even though it’s anything but that. As such, Castiel doesn’t hesitate to reach through the kin-connection and soothe the ruffled edges of Dean’s mind.

In an instant, he can feel Dean’s hopes soar before they’re wrapped behind the walls of his mind. _(So, I **wasn’t** wrong in thinking that you like me too?) _Despite Dean’s best efforts, even those thoughts carry a trembling edge of hope to them.

Isn’t that just the question though? _Does_ Castiel share in those feelings? Does he feel them right now or is there the chance that he might feel them at some point in the future? How much introspection will he need to find the answers to those questions?

For the time being, Dean is waiting for him and Castiel slows his swim so he can catch up. _(You’re not **entirely** wrong.)_

He doesn’t know how to explain the thoughts and feelings milling about inside of him right now, so Castiel does the next best thing. He opens a portion of his mind to Dean’s curious touch, letting him experience each and every thought Castiel has on this topic in particular.

As things are right now, Castiel _does_ like Dean. He’s a dear friend that has been a source for the majority of any confusion he’s had over the last several rotations. On its own, could that mean that he _doesn’t_ like Dean in the same way that Dean likes him? Or does it mean the opposite? If they both like each other in the same way, what happens then?

Dean choose then to add his own opinion to the many thoughts swirling through Castiel’s thoughts right now. _(Anything we want, Cas.)_ He draws even with Castiel’s side and his arm-fin brushes against his arm. _(We could – y’know – explore things. Figure out if this is what Mother-sea has planned for us.)_

With a sudden spurt of speed, Dean darts forward and puts himself in front of Castiel, bringing them both to a stop. _(But only if you want to. I’m not going to push you into anything – especially when the shit with our colonies hasn’t even calmed down yet. It’s too much for us to swim right into anything without taking our time. Hell, we’re probably getting way too ahead of ourselves with talking about this now instead of waiting to see what’s going to happen with our situation.)_

Castiel frowns and his adipose fins ripple in displeasure. _(What situations? Your colony can stay. We can give you a proper home here and, with time, the relationships between our colonies will be mended. If **we** can be friends, I have no doubt that the rest of our colonies can too.)_

A smile plays across Dean’s lips, blue in the light of Castiel’s glow. _(I know that, Cas. But not everyone is as awesome as you and me.)_

 _(That’s a given.)_ He huffs a laugh through his gills and shakes his head. _(But you do have a point. Rushing into anything would be –)_ Would be what?

His thoughts stall out and Castiel starts thinking again. He still hasn’t figured out if he _wants_ Dean like that. But – and he keeps _these_ thoughts entirely to himself – the idea of being with Dean, or at least _trying_ , is not unappealing. It’s the exact opposite, in fact. The more that Castiel thinks about it, the more he likes the idea.

First and foremost, the kiss Dean gave him wasn’t _bad_. It was actually rather nice – as surprising as it was. A small part of him is rather interested in trying that again. Maybe not right now, though. That should be something they work up to. But some hugging seems perfectly safe right now. Michael still wants to talk about that one kiss from before, so anything more like that might not be as accepted, but hugs? Hugs should be safe. Friends hug all the time and there’s nothing about those that Michael or the rest of the Council can complain about.

A hopeful curiosity brushes the edges of his mind and Castiel feels a flush fill his face. Dean is waiting for an answer. Of the many options available to him right now, there’s really only one that Castiel actually wants to give. For one of the few times in his life, Castiel suddenly feels _shy_. This really is a whole new situation for him. He’s never had to deal with anything like a _confession_ or determining where a relationship is going to go – especially with a _fang-fin_ and especially at the end of a _war_.

It’s hard to meet Dean’s eyes right now and Castiel glances down at his hands. They fidget with one another, pinching and pressing at the webbing between his fingers. This isn’t want he was expecting to happen today. He wanted to talk to Dean about the kiss, but he hadn’t thought that Dean would _confess_ like this – much less make Castiel doubt everything he’s ever known about himself and the world.

Dean reaches out and catches both of Castiel’s hands between his. _(Listen. You don’t need to give me an answer right now, okay? You can think about it or forget about it or – Just, you don’t need to push yourself for me.)_

That’s sweet of him. Castiel is truly touched by how considerate Dean is in all regards. It makes that jelly-fish feeling in Castiel’s chest wiggle just that little bit harder. It makes him want to – to – It makes him want to think about what _he_ wants instead of what’s good for the colony. What does it matter if he really does maybe like a male? So what if that male is a fang-fin they were at war with literally earlier today? This is _Dean_ and Castiel considers him one of his best friends, oddly enough.

There’s no harm in at least _trying_ , right?

Castiel takes a deep breath before he looks up to again. _(I would –)_ Oh, this is harder than he thought. Dean looks about as nervous as Castiel feels, and there’s an edge of it bordering the hopeful encouragement he sweeps through the kin-connection. He wants Castiel to finish his thought too.

Alright. Okay. He can do this. Castiel actually holds his breath and throws the thoughts into their link. The fast they’re out of his head, the better. _(I might be interested in perhaps exploring what this could potentially lead to. With you, that is.)_

His answer sounds weak even echoing back through the kin-connection, but Castiel said it. Dean is the first fin-kin he’s actually _liked_ , and the first one he would actually consider – well – _anything_ with. Imagining himself doing anything with Dean is far different from putting it into practice, but like he’s thought before, it can’t hurt to try. If he’s not comfortable with this, he’s certain that Dean will let it drop and he won’t ask for anything more than what Castiel is willing to give. They can take this slowly and figure things out and do what is necessary considering the standings of their colonies right now.

But all of that indecision fades in comparison to the bright smile Dean gives him then. The relief and delight that fills the kin-connection is almost enough to outshine that too. _(You sure?)_

Castiel nods slowly and turns his hands in Dean’s. Now they’re holding hands properly and it’s sending a shivery _pleased_ feeling through his bones. _(This is all **very** sudden and I’m not entirely sure how I feel or if I even believe all this information you’ve just given me about different – hm – **sexualities**.) _ Dean’s hope in the kin-connection plummet and Castiel squeezes his hands. _(But, I know that I do like you. And the kiss, though surprising, was nice.)_

 _(Does that mean I can kiss you again?)_ The slump to Dean’s shoulders straightens as he perks up again. Castiel can almost see his fins spreading drooping and spreading in accordance to his emotions and reactions, if Dean were a bright-fin that is.

This is something that requires no thought at all. He shakes his head, but smiles. _(Not right now.)_ It’s not something that Castiel is ready for, no matter how nice it was. _(But, if I come to understand myself a bit more, I might allow it again one day.)_ Or if he ends up actually _loving_ Dean. Whichever comes first.

Confusion and disappointment flicker along the edges of Dean’s mind and his shoulders slump again. _(Damn. I was really hoping to get to kiss you again.)_

That makes Castiel’s smile grow. _(You are very physical with your affections, aren’t you?)_

 _(Fuck yeah, I am.)_ Despite how his shoulders droop again, Dean’s smile is bright and cheeky. _(So if kissing is out of the question, what about hugs? Or the occasional cuddle?)_ He lets a feeling into the kin-connection wrapped around his words that’s almost teasing but somewhat hopeful. _(Because, y’know, those are pretty damn good too.)_

He does have a point there. Castiel really enjoys when he gets to sleep in a pile with his siblings. That closeness is something he craves often, but his siblings are always too busy doing their own thing and pursuing their own relationships. It actually makes his heart pound a little harder to think that he could find in Dean the things that he wants. But – is he comfortable enough with Dean to do that? Well, there’s no better way to figure that out than trying it.

Castiel’s adipose fins roll slightly and he drifts closer to Dean. _(I could be amenable to trying that.)_

 _(Oh, really?)_ Dean raises his eyebrows and smiles as he opens his arms. _(You wanna try right now?)_

 _(It **has** been a long and tiring day, hasn’t it?) _ With a sigh, Castiel closes the distance between them and leans into Dean’s chest. _(I think we deserve a little time to relax, don’t you?)_

The agreement that fills the connection is overwhelming as Dean wraps his arms around Castiel’s shoulders. He does it slowly, giving Castiel every chance to draw away if he doesn’t like it. Though, honestly, he has no desire to move right now. This is much more comfortable than he thought it would be. They slowly sink together to the sand and stones below. With some wiggling, they manage to get comfortable on their sides.

Due to Dean’s hard back-fin, they’re not able to lay with him on his back. And Castiel isn’t particularly comfortable with the idea of having Dean lying on top of him at the moment. Holding each other on their sides is a good in between and Castiel sighs happily as he gets comfortable. He drapes his tail over Dean’s and a quiet purr rumbles in his chest. Castiel missed the feeling of having someone wrapped around him. Now that the war is over, he’ll likely get more of that with his siblings, but getting to do this with Dean is new and exciting and – and – and Dean is _really_ comfortable.

 _(This is nice.)_ Castiel sighs through his gills and wiggles closer, nuzzling his cheek against Dean’s chest. He’s never been hugged by someone bigger than him. This is the first time that Castiel doesn’t mind that Dean is bigger than him both in shoulders and length. It’s actually giving him a sense of security being held by someone larger than him and Castiel presses closer. _(This is very nice.)_

At this moment, Castiel doesn’t really know when they’ll have the chance to do this again, or if they’re going to get to meet again any time soon. But this is something to tide him over. It’s something he can look forward to again in the future in addition to the peace between their colonies. He’s very interested in seeing where this _thing_ between him and Dean will go. In fact, he’s about as interested in that as he is in seeing how their colonies will settle together – if the fang-fin decide to stay.

It’s funny to think that when Dean carried him from the cave where they met, Castiel had been uncomfortable in his arms. Today, he’s content enough to stay like this for as long as they can get away with it. And that’s such a nice thought that he decides to share it with Dean.

A laugh vibrates against his cheek and Dean’s hand sweeps down his spine, pressing in at points like some kind of soothing massage. _(Me too, Cas.)_ He sighs and the kin-connection gets filled with a satisfied happiness. _(Me too.)_


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kin-connection falls somber following his small confession. Michael squeezes his hands tightly. _(Is that what it was like for you?)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

The swim back to the trench feels much longer than it is. That might have something to do with how Castiel’s head feels like it’s floating separate from his body. The hinge of his jaw hasn’t stopped tingling since Dean actually nuzzled him goodbye. It had taken quite some time for them to go their separate ways. Castiel didn’t actually want to leave. If possible, he would have liked to spend the night there, sleeping curled up with Dean. That desire echoed back at him in the kin-connection when he bid Dean farewell, but neither of them could act on it. They were both expected back at their colonies, after all

It’s a good thing that Castiel came back. It would have been a terrible thing if his family had sent out a group to fetch him. The fang-fin might have seen it as an act of aggression. His selfishness would have gotten everyone in trouble and Castiel could not allow it – no matter how much Dean pouted and whined when he insisted that it was time for him to leave. Despite that, he feels too warm under his skin and his chest is too full of fluttering jellyfish for him to be able to actually _worry_ about things right now.

At any other time, Castiel’s mind would normally be filled with wonderings about how anything between a bright-fin and a fang-fin could work. That aside, he should also be concerned that they’re both males. Although those worries _do_ flit around on the edges of his mind, they feel so very far away right now. There’s too much _happy_ in his heart for Castiel to let them bother him at the moment. Nothing is going to be allowed to take this feeling away from him as he essentially floats his way back to the trench.

The joy of a job well done with the war and spending the majority of the evening cuddling with Dean buoys Castiel along until he finally reaches home. There are still garrisons patrolling the area, but they’ve pulled in quite a ways and the numbers have been cut in half. Castiel is greeted with tired smiles that actually look _happy_. Everyone is pleased that the war is over, even if they still have to be on guard. The trench always had half a garrison watching its rim, but this is different. The fang-fin are still in the area and no one is going to fully relax for a long time yet.

Castiel lets his mind slip into the comfort of the colony-wide kin-connection as soon as he sees the first bright-fin. Some greetings filter through to him, but the majority of the colony is taking a well-deserved sleep. That sounds like a wonderful idea and Castiel heads straight for his sleep shelf. He almost makes it all the way to it before he feels a familiar tug at the edge of his mind.

Michael’s touch skims along Castiel’s thoughts, familiar and warm and feeling like home. _(Welcome back, Castiel. I see you decided to come home tonight.)_

 _(You seem surprised.)_ He hesitates at the edge of his shelf and glances around. Castiel has the sneaking suspicion that someone is watching him and he calls out echoes to find them.

That’s when Gabriel barges into the conversation, his thoughts louder than they need to be at this time of the night. Thankfully, they’re speaking in a private link – one they keep open for family and family alone. _(We **are** surprised, Cassie. **Some** of us thought that you were going to swim off with Dean and we were never going to see you again.)_

With those words, the happiness trapped behind Castiel’s ribs seizes and starts to dry up. He had almost forgotten that there had been many witnesses to Dean’s kiss before. Of course word of it would have gotten back to his family soon enough. If they want to talk about the kiss, _they_ can be the ones to bring it up. He has nothing to hide, but if that’s what he brings up first, it might be construed as being something he feels guilty over.

Castiel chooses to ignore the obvious hinting in Gabriel’s words and continues to call echoes around him. _(What makes you think I wasn’t going to come back?)_

Now Lucifer’s voice joins in. _(Oh, I’m sure you know **why**.)_

Of course he does, but he’s not going to be the one to say it. And of _course_ it’s that moment when Anna and Balthazar come diving down from the shelf above Castiel’s. They were using it for cover, those bastards. Castiel tries to twist out of the way, but he’s not fast enough to dodge the both of them. While he manages to stay out of Balthazar’s reach, Anna alters her dive just enough to compensate for Castiel’s movement. She crashes into him with a solid _thump_ , forcing them both down deeper into the trench. Castiel wouldn’t mind it so much if it wasn’t for both her and Balthazar practically _screaming_ into the kin-connection.

 _(You **kissed** Dean!) _ Anna’s thoughts shriek along the kin-connection, making Castiel’s head ache.

At the same time, Balthazar shouts the same but with a slightly inflection. _(You kissed **Dean**!)_

With a wince, Castiel braces for Balthazar to plow into him too. Sure enough, it happens before he can manage to get his thoughts in order for a response of his own. Once he’s sure that they’re not going to knock him around anymore, he forms his answer. _(Technically speaking, **he** kissed **me**. I was merely on the receiving end and had no part in the planning or the execution of the kiss.)_

The truly terrifying part of this odd conversation is that none of his siblings are sharing their emotions. It was Michael’s words that had Castiel assuming he was surprised. Even Anna and Balthazar have nothing but force behind their words. Castiel is finding it more than a little uncomfortable – almost as uncomfortable as the way they're looking at him. Neither one of them look very happy. It sucks the last of Castiel’s happiness from him and he finds it hard to look them in the eye.

 _(You’re coming with us.)_ Anna hooks her arm through one of his and Balthazar takes the other. _(Our big brothers are waiting for us.)_

He doesn’t fight it as they drag him down towards the opening of the mining tunnels. Castiel knows exactly where they’re taking him. When they were younger, he and his siblings found a tunnel that had long been abandoned. There’s a small cavern off one of the tunnel walls that had been used to store supplies and the minerals mined from the cliff walls. It’s been empty since long before they were born and he and his siblings used it as a secret meeting spot when they all wanted to get away from the other hatchlings from their birth-season.

A meeting between _all_ their siblings and on the subject of Dean’s kiss no less? Castiel groans and hangs his head. There’s no point in trying to swim away, but he doesn’t swim with them. He’s dead weight for them, but they have no problem with pulling him along. All Castiel wants to do is hide himself away from this conversation. Even knowing that Raphael and Metatron won’t be a part of this does nothing to brighten his feelings over it. Castiel just knows that eventually he’ll have to deal with them too and he is _not_ looking forward to hearing what Raphael thinks about the kiss.

When they reach the tunnels, Castiel’s tail actually drags along the floor of it as Anna and Balthazar pull him along to where their little cave is. Balthazar isn’t taking it as well as Anna is. _(Would you just **move** a little bit, Cassie? You’re being annoying.)_

 _( **You’re** the ones being annoying.) _ He huffs and his head-fins flare out slightly. _(I just want to go to sleep. Why do we have to have this talk right now? Can’t it wait until the morning?)_

The combined glow of Michael, Gabriel, _and_ Lucifer spills from the opening of the cave ahead of them. Castiel knows that they’re all there because all three of them answer his question with a resounding _no_. His family is so determined to have this talk with him right now that once Anna and Balthazar let him go in the back of the cave, all five of his siblings swim to block the opening. They’re making it so he can’t escape and it immediately puts him on a defensive edge.

It’s not the fact that he’s in a cave right now that’s making him feel like this. Castiel honestly doesn’t mine caves anymore. Of course he feels a little nervous because, once again, he’s being held in one against his will somewhat, but at least it’s his family. Besides that, Castiel met Dean in a cave and those memories aren’t so bad anymore. In fact, Castiel might even be a little fond of them. That cave is where became Dean became the fang-fin that Castiel knows now. It kind of holds a special place in his heart now, knowing that he and Dean are a little more than just friends now.

Which brings him right back to why he’s here in the first place. _(Does **everyone** have to be here for this?)_

 _(Absolutely.)_ Michael sits on the curl of his table and folds his hands in his lap. His expression doesn’t change in the slightest. _(This is a family affair. As such, the entire family should be here for it.)_

 _(How so?)_ Castiel crosses his arms and frowns at all of them.

Unlike Michael, Lucifer is sitting back against the side of the opening to the cave. His tail is curled up to his chest and he crosses his arms on top of it. _(I think you’re failing to see the big picture here, Castiel.)_ He narrows his eyes in what is undoubtedly a disapproving glare. _( **Three** of us are on the Council. If one of our siblings starts cavorting with a fang-fin so soon after the war is over, it could reflect very badly on us and on our family.)_

Fantastic. He knew that would be a factor in their reaction, but Castiel still doesn’t want to hear about it. _(What happens between Dean and I has nothing to do with our colonies or with our Councils.)_

The grin that spreads across Gabriel’s face looks downright evil in the light of their combined glows. _(So there **is** something between you and Dean, then?)_

Castiel bares his teeth in the closest thing to a snarl he’s willing to do at his family. _(I didn’t say that.)_ He is not enjoying this in the slightest.

Balthazar points at him sharply. _(But you were thinking it!)_

 _(I have neither confirmed nor denied anything.)_ He hates having _five_ stares directed at him and Castiel stares right back at at every single one of them in turn. _(You’re just making assumptions based off a kiss that was fueled entirely by adrenaline.)_

Anna’s back-fan snaps out and her head-fins flare as anger rings her thoughts. _(Are you saying that Dean would have kissed **anyone** had they been **convenient**?)_

That is by far the most preposterous thing anyone could have said and it is blatantly untrue. Castiel can’t even bring himself to respond. Instead, he turns his glare to the wall and narrows his head-fins. His back fans fold flat and the end of his tail starts slapping the floor. How dare she even suggest that! Anna doesn’t even know how Dean feels for him or that he confessed or _anything_. She wasn’t even there to witness it herself!

Apparently his lack of an answer is some kind of answer in itself. The moment he looks away, Balthazar slaps his hand on the floor. _(I **knew** it!)_

 _(Knew **what** , exactly?) _Castiel turns back sharply and actually _hisses_ at him.

Michael sighs heavily through his gills and instantly the kin-connection goes quiet. Even in his own family, he knows how to command a conversation. _(We would like an explanation, Castiel. From the beginning, please. I feel that we, as your family, deserve the truth.)_

He has a point, but that doesn’t mean he feels like playing alone. _(I don’t particularly want to.)_

Lucifer sighs too and it sends a chill down Castiel’s spine. _(This isn’t a request. This is an order from your Council. We need to proceed **very** **carefully** with what happens now between our colonies. Some might see you as a traitor if you start fooling around with a fang-fin.)_

Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, _wait_. Castiel’s fins all flare in surprise when the realization strikes. Something wasn’t adding up and he just figured it out. _(It sounds like you’re taking more issue with the fact that Dean is a **fang-fin** than the fact that he’s **male**.)_

The cave falls silent and Castiel is witness to all of his siblings sharing surprised looks between each other. Balthazar is the one who drops the walls around his emotions first, sharing his confusion. _(Is that something you **want** us to freak out over?)_

 _(Not particularly. But I thought that would at least factor into it.)_ Castiel glances between each of his siblings, expecting at least one of them to wrinkle their nose in disgust at the thought of him having been kissed by a _male_.

Anna turns the entire ocean on his head when she shrugs and glances at the other. _(Well, not really. I mean, it’s not exactly a **new** thing. It’s rare, certainly, but nothing we haven’t heard about before. And I admit that it’s a little surprising that you’re going for a male, but whatever.) _ She shrugs again when she looks back at him.

Okay, alright. That’s understandable. Shocking beyond all reason, but she makes a perfectly valid point. Except that just raises one great big huge question. It begins with a ‘ _what_ ’ and ends with several more of the same words. Except none of the thoughts makes it out into the kin-connection. Words aren’t required though. The truly astounding amount of surprise in their link is enough.

Lucifer gasps and brings a hand to his cheek. _(You didn’t know.)_

Of course he didn’t know! How do _they_ know? _(Where did **you** learn about it? I’ve never heard anything about this before!)_

The only amusement in the kin-connection is Gabriel’s, evident by the smile on his lips. _(Well, I’m not surprised. No one really talks about it anymore outside of when we went through puberty.)_

How in _mother-sea_ did he miss this very important information? _(Why in the ocean not? That would have been **very** helpful information to have growing up.)_

Gabriel tilts his head and shrugs. _(I dunno, Cassie. It’s complicated.)_

Yet again there’s something Castiel doesn’t understand and now he’s getting mad. _(How is it complicated? Make it **not** complicated and **explain** it to me.)_

Castiel is old enough to have had the chance to participate in _three_ different mating season. That’s _three_ seasons he’s passed on because he didn’t understand _himself_. Granted, he hasn’t yet had any interest in anyone in the colony. He hasn’t been sexually attracted to anyone before and no one caught his interests as a potential mate – not like Dean has, at least.

Not even mother-sea would know how that would change if he knew that it was acceptable for to mate with a male. How different would his life be right now if he _had_ known this when he was growing up? What upsets him the most is that if this one piece of information had been shared with him, he might not have felt so _alone_.

If he looks at this from a logical standpoint, if his _siblings_ knew about this then there must be others in the colony who know too. Which means that Castiel is likely not the only one of his colony that feels like this. He’s not _alone_ anymore – and not just because the fang-fin are here now and Dean has confirmed that there are _definitely_ members of his colony like him.

But what _is_ like him? Is Castiel only interested in males? Is it even possible for him to like a female? That’s a good question and Castiel takes a moment to think about it. Would he still be interested in Dean if he was a female? It takes another moment of imagining what Dean would be like as one. He doesn’t have to think about it long before deciding that yes, yes he would still like Dean if he wasn’t male. What matters to him is _Dean_ , not his body.

His anger over all of this must be leaking into the kin-connection because Balthazar swims over and wraps his arms around Castiel’s shoulders in a tight hug. _(You know how you told us that you weren’t interested in anyone and how you decided you never wanted to mate with anyone?)_

Castiel tries not to slump into the hug like he so desperately wants to. _(I said that because I wasn’t comfortable with how the females were acting when we were going through puberty.)_

 _(And do you remember how you told me that you didn’t find any of them appealing?)_ Balthazar gives his shoulders a squeeze, shaking him a little.

Of course he remembers that. Balthazar wasn’t the only one he told either, as Anna interrupts with a sharp poke through the kin-connection. _(Get to the point already.)_

She gets a glare for her troubles, but at least Balthazar actually does get on with it. _(Well, I’m just saying that it’s not unusual to have a fin-kin not be interested in sex at all. That’s what we thought you were like, so we collectively decided to talk about sex as little as possible around you so you wouldn’t be uncomfortable about it or anything.)_

Actually, that’s very sweet of them. Castiel wasn’t aware of that in the slightest and he’s rather touched by this revelation. His anger subsides from the kin-connection at least slightly. _(Go on.)_ Balthazar must have more to his point, right?

Judging by the plea for help that fills the kin-connection, apparently he doesn’t. Luckily for him, Anna is ready to continue in his place. She swims over as well to sit on Castiel’s other side. Unlike Balthazar, she curls her tail over his and takes one of his hands in hers. _(It’s not as hard as Gabriel is making it out to be, I promise you. It just involves generations of intolerance.)_

Castiel finds that surprising. He thought his colony was so accepting of everyone and everything. They were even willing to accept the fang-fin when they initially approached them. Why would the colony not be willing to accept sexual differences?

 _(A long time ago, before the generations of our parent’s parents – probably even before **their** parent’s parents – we had a really stodgy old Council.) _ Anna starts explaining without even acknowledging the frown Castiel wears. _(They decided that any relationship that was not between a male and a female was pointless and that anyone who didn’t want to help with the continuation of the colony lineages would be punished in some way, shape, or form.)_

Well, that makes some sense. _(That was my first thought when Dean kissed me.)_ And, of course, when he was going through puberty and gave up on trying to figure himself out.

Anna pats Castiel’s hand and sympathy fills the kin-connection, though it’s not just streaming from her mind. _(I’m sorry we didn’t talk to you about these things beforehand. In our defence, that’s a **really** old teaching and we didn’t learn about it from the elders or the instructors. Father told Michael while he was being groomed for the position of colony leader and Michael told us.)_

Castiel frowns at his lap, picking through the information that she shared. _(If it’s such an old teaching and it’s not in effect now, why haven’t I seen any mating in the colony between members of the same sex?)_ That’s what isn’t making sense to him. How could he have missed something so crucial? It’s not like he was _that_ wrapped up with training as a means to distract himself from feeling different.

Michael sighs and he rubs his hands over his face. _(It’s an old teaching, but it’s not exactly **gone**. There are still many parents within our colony who had such a teaching passed down to them through the generations.) _ He gives Castiel a grim smile that does nothing to lift his spirits. _(The elders might not teach it anymore, but some parents still talk about it. And word spreads between the hatchlings and they start believing it too. It’s a mess.)_

 _(But why didn’t you tell **me**?) _ Castiel looks between each of his siblings again. _(I can’t believe that you would keep something like this from me for so long.)_ His chest aches with the tight burn of betrayal and he hates it. Did he come off as being that uncomfortable with the notion of sex that aside from their own escapades, they really thought it was best to hide this from him? And that begs the question, what _else_ doesn’t he know about?

Apologies fill the kin-connection as Michael slides closer too. He sits next to Ann and reaches out to take Castiel’s hands from her. _(We’re sorry, Castiel. We never meant to hurt you by keeping this from you.)_

 _(But if it’s any consolation, I distinctly remember Mother telling us that it’s perfectly alright to love whoever we wanted to.)_ Gabriel adds his bright thoughts to the somber ones filling their familial link.

They were still very young when Mother died. Castiel doesn’t remember much, if anything, about her. It doesn’t surprise him that he has no recollection of that conversation – though he might not have even been present for it. Who even knows? He certainly doesn’t remember it, but it does give him a small solace to know that their own mother was more open minded than the majority of his colony, it seems.

Lucifer glides across the cave to sit next to Balthazar. Like Anna, he lays part of his tail over Castiel’s. _(Listen to me, Cassie. The old teachings are why no one really talks about fin-kin like you anymore. I’m sure we have members in our colony like you, but it’s those teachings that have them keeping it to themselves. That and for whatever personal reasons they have.)_

Personal reasons are something Castiel understands very well. He looks down at his hands and his fans fold close to his body. This is going to be hard to admit, but if he’s ever going to share these feelings with his siblings, now would be the time for it. _(They don’t want to cause trouble in the colony by being themselves.)_ Castiel takes a deep breath and lets it slowly out his gills. _(Maybe they don’t think there’s anyone else like them, so they have no one to talk to openly about it.)_

The kin-connection falls somber following his small confession. Michael squeezes his hands tightly. _(Is that what it was like for you?)_

He shrugs and continues staring at their hands. There’s pity singing along the edges of his siblings’ minds and Castiel doesn’t want to lift his head and see it in their eyes. _(It was. But it’s – I learned a lot from Dean today.)_ He shrugs fills the kin-connection with images of the different kinds of possible mating that Dean had described to him. _(He said that there are many ways fin-kin can love one another – both sexually and romantically or not at all.)_

The only thing now though is that he doesn’t really know which of that applies to him. Imagining Dean as a female doesn’t exactly arouse him sexually, but even as a male he’s not being _turned on_ either. Is it because they haven’t found each other in a sexual situation yet? Or maybe his body just isn’t able to respond to another like that? Not knowing irks him and he wants to spend more time with Dean to find out the answers.

 _(I have the feeling that Cassie knows more about this topic than we do now.)_ Gabriel keeps his thoughts light as he finally comes to join them, flopping full body across the end of Castiel’s tail. Once he’s comfortable, his thoughts take a serious edge to them. _(It must’ve been tough for you, Cassie. We should’ve been there for you more than we were. But y’know that you were never alone, right?)_

Balthazar squeezes Castiel again, his hug never having waned during the conversation. _(Whatever happens, you’ll always have us.)_

Anna’s arms circle around his waist and she gives him a squeeze too. _(If you like males like Dean, then that’s okay. We still love you.)_

That’s just it, though. He doesn’t _really_ know if he likes males or not. _(I don’t know. I mean, I could be like that, but I might not be.)_ It’s hard to fidget when Michael still has a hold on his hands and the majority of his fins are pinned by his siblings, but Castiel still manages it with the spreading and narrowing of his head-fans. _(I don’t really understand it much myself, but I do know that I have never found myself all that sexually attracted to males or females. And I have never been romantically attracted to anyone in our colony either.)_

As always, Gabriel is far sharper than he leads others to believe. He fixes Castiel with a knowing look and pinches part of his adipose fin. _(You’re holding back on us, baby bro. What aren’t you saying?)_

Quite a bit, actually. But there’s one thing that really stands out from the rest that Castiel has been trying to ignore for far longer than this conversation. His family starts pressing urgently at him through the kin-connection, curious and wanting what he’s hiding from them. Castiel’s response is to throw walls up around his mind to keep any hints from slipping out. The problem is that he is _scared_ to share this. While his family might be alright with Castiel having different preferences than them, they might not be okay with this.

But Castiel can only keep things from them for so long. He crumbles to their pleading rather quickly. Might as well get it over with, right?

_(I think I **like** Dean.)_

All it takes is five words to make every single one of his siblings fall silent. When he looks up, Castiel finds all of them staring at him, mouths opens and gills fluttering. Immediately, he looks down again. Okay, maybe he needs more details to that confession.

 _(I mean – I don’t know. The kiss wasn’t **bad** , and we – um – he said that he likes me too.) _He tries taking his hands back so he can twist them together in his lap, but Michael has a firm grip on them and refuses to let go.

Since no one is saying anything, Castiel decides that it’s a good reason for him to continue. _(Dean explained so many things about the fang-fin colony that I wouldn’t have expected and it’s really gotten me thinking. They may be more violent than we are, but they’re far more accepting of these things. Apparently it’s even common practice among them.)_

He doesn’t have the first clue of what it is that makes him do it, but for some Mother-sea forsaken reason Castiel decides to share a mental image of how he and Dean held each other in the sand. It’s just a brief flash of his memories, warmed by the feelings that he had at that moment in time, but it still manages to shock his siblings. Their sharp surprise is stark against the empty channels of the kin-connection and it all it does is make Castiel want to wiggle free and swim away.

To everyone’s surprise, Lucifer breaks the silence by _laughing_. All eyes turn to him and he doesn’t even bother trying to stop. He starts shaking his head as he leans forward to catch Castiel’s face between his hands. _(This is just so **precious**.)_

It’s hard to frown when his cheeks are being squished together, but Castiel tries it anyways. _(What is?)_

 _(Our little Cassie is falling in love right in front of us!)_ Lucifer throws his head back with a laugh, even though his thoughts are nothing but fond. _(For Green-eyes the fang-fin, no less! This is **hilarious!** )_

He keeps squashing Castiel’s cheeks until he has no choice but to slap his hands away. _(This isn’t **funny**!)_

 _(It’s funny because it’s so damn **ironic** and we really should have expected it.) _Lucifer’s grin grows and he gestures at the rest of their family. _(Don’t you see, Cassie? You disobeyed your family and your colony just so you could sneak out and see Dean. I can’t believe that we didn’t see this coming the moment we found out that you had befriended him. Before you met Dean, you never would have done something like that. Not when it went against what your Council had told you.)_

Castiel frowns and rubs at his jaw. He fails to see the humour in all of this. _(I did it **for** the colony, not for myself. Dean had information that we needed and I needed to be kept appraised of the situation with the fang-fin. My friendship with Dean is genuine, but it was founded in **tactics**.)_

Now Gabriel starts laughing, but there’s a teasing edge to it. He even has the gall to reach over and pat Castiel on the cheek, right where he can still feel where Lucifer squished it. _(You just keep telling yourself that, Cassie.)_

Oh, great. Teasing. Castiel just _loves_ it when they make fun of him, even if it’s this mild mannered way. He rolls his eyes and slaps Gabriel’s hand away too. This really isn’t the best of time for them to start teasing him. This has been a long and difficult day for all of them. Castiel is mentally, physically, and _emotionally_ exhausted now and he is just not in the mood for it. He had been worried about what his family would think about the change in his friendship with Dean and now they’re _laughing at it_. Just – that’s ridiculous and he’s done with them for now.

 _(Alright, we’re done here.)_ Castiel starts shoving at the arms around him, trying to wiggle free. _(Let me go. I’m going to sleep now.)_

Amusement dances through the kin-connection and Balthazar tightens his grip. Anna does it too, tensing her tail to keep his pinned. Castiel knows that all is lost the moment Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer all fix him with the same calculating gaze. They start wiggling closer, dragging themselves up and over his tail. In a matter of moments, Castiel is on his back with his fans pinned to the stone, smothered under a pile of his siblings.

Well, isn’t this just fantastic?

 _(We’re not letting you go that easily, Cassie.)_ Balthazar laughs and wiggles against Castiel’s side, trying to get comfortable. That’s a difficult task considering they’re both on the bottom of the pile and Castiel knows, from this experience and many others, that it is not a comfortable place to be.

_(Get off of me.)_

Someone pokes his tail and Castiel is fairly certain that it’s Gabriel, considering that he’s the next to speak. _(Why don’t you make us?)_

Castiel tries squirming his way from, but his arms and his tail are fully pinned. There’s no escape from this unless he wants to try biting people. He’s done it in the past and Castiel knows that all that will come from it is that _everyone_ will start nipping at each other. One bite and this whole pile could turn into a wrestling match that might leave them with more scrapes and bruises than the battle from earlier today. It’s best that he give up on that thought and try to reason his way out of this.

_(Why won’t you let me leave? It’s late and I’m tired and I want to **sleep**.)_

_(Because the war is over and our family can be together again.)_ Michael’s thoughts are self-satisfied but delighted that all his siblings are alive and well.

As nice as that is, there is one glaring problem with all of this. _(I am **not** sleeping in this cave.)_

 _(Then the answer is simple.)_ Anna grins and Castiel actually feels it against his shoulder. _(We’re coming with you to your sleep-shelf.)_

Is she joking? _(No, you’re not.)_

Before the war, Castiel used to love sleeping in a pile with his siblings. He used to find it extremely comforting, but he’s much too grumpy for this right now and he doesn’t want to deal with anyone. Maybe that comes across in his thoughts, because the pile breaks away from him slowly. Unfortunately, each and every one of them follows him as he makes his way back out into the trench.

He glances back over his shoulder to frown at them. _(Stop following me.)_

Balthazar swims forward enough to slap at Castiel’s back-fans as he passes over him. _(Nope, that’s not happening. What **is** happening is an ol’ fashioned sibling pile and a good night’s sleep.)_

The gaiety in the situation is shared by all up until Michael draws ahead just shy of Castiel’s shelf. His eyes carry a somber seriousness to them and it draws everyone up short. Michael puts his hands on Castiel’s shoulders, making sure that he can’t look away. _(Listen to me, Castiel. What I’m about to say is **very** important.)_

Now he’s scared. _(Okay?)_

 _(It’s true that we think it’s odd that out of all the fin-kin in the sea, you’ve taken an interest in a fang-fin who was one of the biggest pains in our sides during the war.)_ Michael sighs and shakes his head. _(It’s just very unexpected and you can’t fault us for that.)_

Castiel frowns and looks away from him. _(I don’t.)_ That’s not why he’s upset.

Michael figures out the reason fairly quickly. _(We hurt your feelings with our laughter.)_

The rigid way his fans fold in is Castiel’s answer and Michael pulls him into a hug. _(We’re sorry.)_

His apologies are mirrored in the kin-connection by the rest of the family. It’s enough to make Castiel relax with a sigh and slump into the hug. _(Apology accepted. May I go to sleep now?)_

 _(Soon. I just have one last thing to say.)_ Michael pulls back from the hug and uses a gentle touch to Castiel’s jaw to make him look him in the eye again. _(I can’t speak for the rest of our siblings, but you have my blessing if you want to pursue a relationship with Dean.)_

That catches everyone by surprise, including Castiel, but Michael just smiles and cups his face between his hands. _(As your brother, and as your colony leader, I want you to be happy. You deserve it, and if you want to see if Dean makes you happy, then I won’t swim in the way of it.)_

Castiel’s nose starts to string and he blinks away the urge to cry. _(Really?)_ He hadn’t realized that having his siblings’ approval meant so much to him. It’s only Michael’s at the moment, but it’s more than he was really expecting to get.

 _(Really.)_ Michael pulls his face forward and presses a kiss to his forehead. _(And I -)_

His thoughts cut off suddenly as Gabriel body-checks him out of the way with a heavy thud. He smacks at Michael with his tail until he gives Gabriel the room to float. Michael’s thoughts turn sour and disapproving, but Gabriel ignores them entirely in favour of swinging an arm around Castiel’s shoulders.

 _(Listen to me, little bro. Before Michael earns the title of the favourite big brother with that, I just want you to know that you’ve got my blessing too.)_ Gabriel puffs up and sticks out his chest with a smile. _(It’s weird as shit, but I’ll accept it too. It’s about damn time that you get some happiness for yourself.)_

Is this really happening? Are his siblings _actually_ approving this? Castiel looks over his shoulder only to find Anna, Balthazar and Lucifer all smiling at him too. Their smiles are soft and their eyes warm in the light of their glows. The love and acceptance filling the kin-connection is almost more than Castiel can bear and he ducks his head, afraid to lose the battle against his tears.

 _(Thank you.)_ His thoughts are small and quiet in the kin-connection, but it’s well deserved.

Now he doesn’t mind as much when he settles into the groove on his shelf to sleep and every single one of his siblings joins him. They curl against each other, draping tails and arms over one another without care. It takes them a little while to get comfortable, but once it happens, sleep comes quickly. Balthazar is the first to drop off, his glow dimming and his mind becoming shrouded with sleep in the kin-connection. Anna is next, her quiet snores filling the water around them. Castiel is on the verge of sleeping himself, but there’s too much activity from Lucifer’s thoughts for it.

 _(I have an idea.)_ He speaks suddenly, startling Gabriel, Michael, and Castiel from their own drowsy thoughts. _(If Castiel is going to be courting a fang-fin, what if we made him an ambassador between the colonies?)_

Michael shifts slightly and lifts his head. His thoughts brighten slightly as he shows interest in the idea. _(He **does** know more about the fang-fin than everyone in the whole colony combined.)_

Gabriel hums as he rolls over, his tail flopping over Anna’s back and making her snort in her sleep. _(And since Dean already has an invested interest in our colony if he’s going to want to court Cassie right back, maybe **he** can be the ambassador from the fang-fin?)_

With a groan, Castiel flicks at all three of them through the kin-connection. _(No business dealings on my shelf. Go to sleep and talk about that in the morning **after** we find out if the fang-fin are going to actually be staying with us.)_

Despite that, Castiel does like the idea. It would be an excuse to spend a lot of time with Dean, and what better opportunity would he have to learn more about the fang-fin? It might be a dangerous position, depending on how accepting the fang-fin are of the bright-fin, but he fully believes that Dean and his family would ensure his safety. Likewise, Castiel would never allow _anything_ to happen to Dean while he is here in bright-fin territory.

His siblings concede and the kin-connection fall silent again. Castiel stares up into the deep dark of the sea as his siblings fade off to sleep one by one. Once again, his feelings about today are confusing him again. If he analyzes them again, he knows that he’s _very_ happy that his family has accepted him. He’s also delighted beyond reason that everyone he cared about survived the war. Castiel is even happy about how things are developing with Dean now.

But there’s so much to worry about too. What if the fang-fin decide not to stay and Castiel ends up having to say goodbye to Dean long before he’s ready to? What if things don’t work out well with him and their friendship is ruined by this? What if Castiel isn’t able to be or do what Dean wants of him? It’s terrifying to think about what might happen if he’s not capable of being sexually attracted to Dean – or anything else involved in a relationship.

Castiel has _never_ been in a relationship before. He has absolutely no idea about what he’s supposed to do. How are they supposed to proceed now? Are they going to keep cuddling until he’s ready to try kissing again? What will happen if he’s never ready for that but he wants to keep cuddling with him? So many questions and no one to answer them.

Although his worries are strong and they scare him quite a bit, the happiness far outweighs it. He still feels confused about it, but he’s also tired enough not to really care too much right now. Actually, Castiel wishes a little bit that Dean was here right now. It was very calming to be held by him and he would like to do that again, and soon.

Happily enough, they did agree to meet tomorrow at a halfway point between their colonies so they can go hunting together. If, for whatever reason, they aren’t able to stay for long, they’re still going to go to at least let the other know about it. Honestly, Castiel is really looking forward to it. All these other questions in his head need answers, and he’s excited to tell Dean about his family’s acceptance. He’s sure that Dean will be happy to hear about that.

Thinking about Dean puts a smile on Castiel’s lips and it’s a wonderful thing to fall asleep to.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His determination warms Castiel’s heart and makes his ribs feel like they’re struggling to hold that feeling in. _(Another day, Dean. Go be with your family.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)
> 
> This was going to be the last chapter, but then the notes got really long and I thought it would be best to break them into two parts. And then finally will be a timestamp. Completely option to read since it will be the sexy times that everyone is looking forward to (except those who aren't, which is why it's in a timestamp and nothing else).

Dean’s day used to start with hunting and training and preparing for the next battle with the bright-fin. In the span of a few – what does Cas call them again? Oh right! In the span of a few rotations, his whole daily schedule has changed in more ways than he cares to count. They’re not bad ways – the exact opposite, actually – but Dean is still trying to adjust to it. He’s not used to changes like this and it’s turning the ocean on his head more often than he thought it would.

For instance, who would have thought that in a manner of days, the fang-fin would be allowed to look at the various offshoots of the bright-fin’s main trench to find one to claim as their own? There were only a handful to look at; some too small for the entire colony and one that was much too large. It would take hundreds of breeding seasons and the participation of every female and male in the colony for them to grow big enough to fit it. There were a couple options that would have been just right, but it didn’t take long for both colonies to settle on which one would be best for the fang-fin.

Since then, Dean and the rest of his colony get to come to the trench for most of the day to work on making it their own. They’re not exactly allowed to _stay_ just yet. For now, they still spend the night at the camp they had before. It’s almost like this is a kind of grace period – a trial where the bright-fin are waiting to see if the fang-fin can really be trusted to live this close to them. So far there haven’t been any incidents aside from a little fighting within both colonies.

Not everyone agrees that this is the best course of action, but like hell is Dean going to let his colony give up such a _perfect_ place for them to actually _live_. He’s sick of simply surviving day to day – and he’s not the only one who feels like this. The fang-fin could be happy here if the more stubborn ones just gave this alliance a chance. It’s actually turning out pretty well for Dean so far.

His days are split between going back and forth between the colonies with Cas, and with digging the hollow that will be his own sleep space. The bright-fin apparently sleep on shelves that are open to the ocean. Some are slightly recessed, but most of them aren’t. It freaks Dean out a little to think of being so vulnerable like that when he sleeps. Granted, they do have dozens of soldiers guarding the lip of the trench and all access to the colony. It’s _really_ hard for anything to sneak by in the dead of the night without them noticing – not that Dean has tried that… yet.

As a fang-fin, he prefers having a roof over his head. Which means that there is a _lot_ of carving in the near future for him. His hollow need to be big enough to fit him and Cas. That’s wishful thinking right there, but a tight fit would just make them both feel claustrophobic. The opening to the hollow needs to be big enough for Dean to fit through without scraping his belly or catching his back-fin. The roof should be high enough for him to be able to sit on his tail and not risk giving himself a head ache.

The prime real estate for the colony were cracks and caves that already existed in the stone walls of the trench. Half the work would already be done and all the individual would have to do is a little shaping to make it perfect. That doesn’t work for Dean’s case. Location is _very_ important to him. Specifically speaking, he needs to be as close to the bright-fin as he can physically get. That way, if Cas ever stays the night, he won’t be too far from home – and vice versa, of course.

None of that really matters right now. As long as the fang-fin colony is functioning without a Council, they’re not going to be allowed to officially move into the trench. They need leadership and right now all they have is Bobby and Ellen. Sure, they’re great, but they’re not a full Council all on their own. They’re giving their all for the colony and Dean is doing his best to talk everyone and anyone he thinks is qualified into at least putting their name in for consideration to be on the Council.

Some fang-fin – like Pamela, for instance – actually listen to him. She’s a history keeper, just like the short guy with the scruffy face from Cas’s Council. He’s been over here every day with Cas and Lucifer. As ambassador, Cas sticks with the two members of the Council who agreed to come over here with a whole _bunch_ of guards, and try to coach the fang-fin into what makes a proper Council. Apparently it’s _really_ important to have a history keeper on board and Dean can’t think of anyone better suited for the job than Pam.

On a slightly more boring note, Dean gets to sit in on all these coaching sessions. It was a spur of the moment thing, but he actually went and _volunteered_ for the position of ambassador. Him! An ambassador! Really, though, it’s a good position for him. Dean is already on _excellent_ terms with bright-fin’s ambassador and he knows more about them than anyone else in the colony. It just made sense that he be the one to take it. Which was probably Cas’s plan all along when he came over to announce that _he_ was going to be the go-between for their colonies.

Oh well! That doesn’t matter to Dean in the slightest. Now he gets to spend more time than ever with Cas. The fact that he sometimes has to attend really boring meetings is just a slight downside. ON the other hand, Cas usually finds an excuse for them to leave and swim through the trench to check on how the fang-fin colony is doing with their hollows.

When Cas comes over during the day, the guards and the Council members aren’t the only bright-fin that come with him. He also brings a _ton_ of builders. Surprisingly, there were actually a lot of bright-fin who volunteered for the opportunity to come help the fang-fin shape the trench to their needs. Mostly they’re sticking to working on making a meeting space for the Council.

The bright-fin have a huge amphitheatre at one of their trench where the majority of the colony can gather during trials and the like. The fang-fin have never had that. It’s a new concept to them, but the bright-fin seem to have it underway. They found a large crevasse in the wall of the trench that could easily be used for such a purpose. Part of Dean wants to work with the bright-fin and spend the time to carve out the tiered seating around the edges of the amphitheatre. He wants to use his own hands to dig out spots for the Council to sit where they can be seen by everyone present.

What Dean wants to do most is help shape his colony onto this new path of theirs. The best way to do that would probably be to join the Council, but he already knows that’s not in Mother-sea’s plan for him. Of all the jobs he could take on as a member of his colony, being on _Council_ is the last one Dean would take to doing. Bobby and Ellen were pretty much unanimously voted into their positions, but Dean knows that’s not going to happen for him.

Which is why he’s doing his damnedest to encourage _Sam_ to take one of those seats. And he’s not the only one insisting it either. Jess and Cas are both working Sam over in their own way whenever they see him. Basically everyone Sam knows is riding his tail to join the Council, but for some _infuriating_ reason, he’s been refusing to do it.

It’s not surprising that it comes down to big brother Dean to pull the weight of everyone and knock some sense into Sam’s head. He devotes every moment of his downtown to the task. If he’s not with Cas doing ambassador-y things, and he’s not working on shaping his hollow to perfection, then Dean is with Sam and needling him to take the damn job already.

 _(Seriously, Sammy. I’m not joking about this.)_ Dean tries his best not to let his thoughts sound like they’re whining, but it’s really difficult when he kinda is. _(You should be on the Council.)_

Sam spares him a glance before he goes back to picking through the kelp to find the best stands to weave a bag with. _(I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s a lot of responsibility and I’m not sure I could handle it.)_

 _(That’s fish-shit and you know it.)_ Dean snorts and rolls away to hunt for something to eat. _(You basically ran the rebellion, so why shouldn’t you run the colony?)_ He can already sense Sam’s rebuttal building in the kin-connection and he squashes it by pure force. _(I’m not saying that you should be the colony **leader**. I’m just saying that you should at least be **on** the Council.)_

He ducks out of sight of Sam, tracking a small school of fish darting in and out of the kelp forest, looking for a meal of their own. It must be a classic case of “out of sight, out of mind” because Sam doesn’t say anything until Dean returns to his side, his arms full with breakfast to share.

There are all sorts of emotions brewing on Sam’s side of the kin-connection, but they’re mostly hidden behind the walls of his mind. All he shares is his indecision when he turns the whole discussion on Dean instead. _(Why don’t **you** be on the Council?)_

They’ve already discussed this and Dean is getting a little tired of having to repeat himself. _(We all know that I’m awesome and a natural born leader. This is fact.)_

Dean grabs one of the bags hanging from the kelp belt around Sam’s waist. It was originally intended for more kelp, but it can be sacrificed to hold their meal. _(But we all know that the colony doesn’t want me to lead them. There aren’t many fang-fin happy that I’m so buddy-buddy with the bright-fin, y’know.)_

More specifically, it’s _Cas_ that he’s so close with. It’s no secret that Dean is courting him. He does it openly in front of both their colonies because he’s got nothing to hide. Maybe they should have waited until the war wounds weren’t so fresh to announce their quasi-relationship, but that would have meant that Dean needed to act like he and Cas _weren’t_ courting each other, and that just wasn’t going to happen at all.

Sam throws a flat look at Dean. Maybe it’s for stealing his bag, maybe it’s for what he said. He’ll never know because Dean has no intention of talking about any controversy he’s causing in the colony. Strangely enough, that’s apparently not what Sam has in mind. Instead he goes for the question that almost completely throws Dean off his meal.

_(So, remind me again how long it’s going to be until you give him a pearl?)_

Dean and shoves the fish he was _going_ to eat into the bag. _(It’s too early to tell.)_ He throws his arms up and flips onto his back so he can float while Sam works. _(All we do is **hug**. Cas still won’t let me kiss him and it’s kinda killing me.)_ Maybe just a little, because Dean _really_ wants to do more things with him, but if it’s not something Cas is ready for, then he’s definitely not going to do it.

A calming touch drags across the edge of his mind, comforting him. _(Maybe he’s just waiting for the right moment. Cas seems like the kind of guy who would want to make things like that special.)_

 _(You have no idea how badly I wanna believe that.)_ Dean sighs and spreads his arms out, treading the water lightly. _(If he’s never going to be comfortable with it, I might die.)_

As it is, it’s already been a really long time since he’s had sex and he kinda really misses it. But now the only fin-kin Dean wants to rub up on is Cas, and he’s sure as hell not going to touch anyone else when he’s in the middle of courting someone. His hand is just going to have to carry him through this, just like it did the war.

Sam’s thoughts prod carefully at him through the kin-connection. _(What if Cas says that he’s not interested in **that**? Will you stop courting him?)_

That has definitely occurred to him in the last few rotations and it’s harshing Dean’s good feelings _hard_. See, the thing is, Dean _really_ likes Cas. But he also really likes kissing and having sex. For him, that’s a pretty big part of a relationship. He’s never had anything without it being included. If Cas puts the kaput on the physical aspect of the relationship, things might not work out for them. Dean already knows that he’s in deep enough that he knows it’s going to hurt for a while if they end things. How hurt would Cas be if that were the case?

Mother-sea, help him. This shit is getting too complicated and it makes his head _and_ chest hurt. Dean groans and scrubs his hands through his hair. Fuck this. He doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. At this point, he just wants to play things out with Cas and see where it goes from there. He knew things with Cas were going to have to go slow. This is all new to him and there’s the risk that if Dean tries to rush anything, it’ll scare Cas off. And that – well, that’s just not a risk he’s willing to take right now.

 _(Enough about me.)_ He sighs and rolls onto his belly again. _(When are **you** going to give **Jess** a pearl, huh?) _ Let’s see how Sam likes it when the teasing is on the other fin now, huh?

Of course Sam takes it like a champ and shrugs it off. _(When the colony is stable, I guess.)_

Aw, c’mon! _(What’s that supposed to mean?)_ Dean wants to be an uncle already, dammit.

Sam sighs and turns to Dean, shoving the kelp in his hands into his bag. _(I mean, when we don’t have to build anything anymore. When we actually have a **Council** and proper leadership. When the entire colony can officially live in the trench and have a **home**.)_

Okay, okay. Those are all good points. Guess Dean will just have to wait before he can be the best uncle to ever live. But, he sees an opportunity to turn things back to the original topic at hand. _(Speaking of the Council, you should totally join it.)_

That earns him a frown and a roll of the eyes. Irritation flickers through the kin-connection and Dean raises his hands in a peaceful kin of gesture. _(I’m serious, Sam. Even **Cas** thinks you should be on it. Just hear me out, okay?)_

With a groan, Sam returns to the kelp. He’s getting frustrated with everyone riding him about this and it’s totally understandable. Dean gets annoyed by the same things when he’s the one in Sam’s position. But he honestly thinks that Sam would be _amazing_ on the Council. He’s smart, level headed, and he’s only ever acted for what’s best for the colony.

 _(Who was one of the first members of our colony to suspect the old Council was shady as hell?)_ Dean swims forward and nudges Sam’s side with his arm-fin. _(It was **you**. Just like it was **your** idea to start gathering up anyone else who had doubts about the war. Bobby told me everything, so don’t try to be modest. You formed that rebellion and you worked harder than anybody to save our colony. If anyone deserves to be on that Council, it’s you.)_

Sam turns to him again, his mind as serious as his eyes. The kelp forest is close enough to the surface that the bright-pearl’s light reaches them. Dean is used to being around light now, thanks to the bright-fin and their constant glow.

_(What about **you** , Dean? If it wasn’t for the work that you and Cas put in, the rebellion might never have actually acted upon anything.)_

Okay, so maybe Dean _did_ come up with the plan for how they were going to overthrow the Council. But he’s just good at that kind of stuff. What he’s not good with is being the center of attention now that he’s trying to have a moment of actual peace after the war. Dean knows he’s not going to get that if he’s on the Council. Fang-fin would be coming after him time and time again to ask questions and all that bullshit that he doesn’t want to have to deal with. He just wants to settle down and hunt and live and not have anything else to worry about.

 _(All I did was make friends with a bright-fin that **you** had already mostly befriended. You were the one who convinced Cas that not all fang-fin wanted this war.) _Dean shrugs and scratches at the back of his head, trying to be as nonchalant as he’s forcing his thoughts to be. _(I just took it to the next level with Cas, and that wasn’t even necessary for the colony. I did that for **me** because **I** like him. You’ve been acting with the colony in mind this whole time and you always will.)_

_(So will you.)_

Probably, but that’s not the point Dean’s trying to make right now. _(Just shut up and join the Council already. This is an order from your big brother and mom and dad said you gotta listen to me.)_

That brings a trickle of wry amusement into the kin-connection. Yes, that might have been one of the last things their parents ever told them, but that’s not really something they’ve stuck to a whole lot recently. If that were the case, Sam never would have followed after his hunch that the Council were a load of lying dicks.

After a long stretch of silence, Sam finally draws away from the kelp and ties off his bag. He must be ready to head back to the colony. _(I’ll think about it.)_

Good enough! That’s basically a victory in Dean’s opinion. As long as Sam puts his name into at least _try_ and be voted onto the Council, then Dean will be happy. If he doesn’t make it, then that’s the colony’s fault and they’re missing out on someone who would only ever act with their best interest in mind. The Council already has Bobby and Ellen. Pam’s name is in consideration too, along with Victor. He’s always had a strong sense of justice. He’d be just as perfect for the job as Sam would be.

There are a couple other names in there too who _weren’t_ rebels. Dean probably won’t vote for them because they believed in the old Council and the old ways and he’s all for _new_ things now. Either way, the final say is down to the colony. This whole election thing is really new to them, but it’s a lot better than deciding by who’s the strongest like they used to. That’s how they end up with leaders like the old Council. This new way focuses more on integrity and all that other shit.

Honestly, Dean’s not sure how much he likes this new method but he’s happy that they’re happening anyways. He knows it’s a good thing, but changes always bring troubles of their own. For instance, having to figure out a whole new Council by this new way is causing tension and unrest in the colony. Everyone recognizes it as a necessity, but it’s just so _different_ from how they’re used to doing things. If they had stuck to the old ways, the colony would have gone to ruins. Everyone is just going to have to suck up it and deal with it.

Actually, Dean is really looking forward to seeing how all of this is going to affect his colony. He’s _almost_ as enthusiastic about that as he is about seeing how things develop with Cas. Speaking of, Dean should probably look him up when they get back to the trench. By the time they get back, it should almost be time for the fang-fin to head back to their camp for the night. He’ll have just enough time to find Cas and wish him goodnight. Which means a goodnight hug and that’s gonna be awesome – like all their hugs always are.

It’s a sad, sad thing that they haven’t been able to spend the night together. Cas could probably sneak away from his colony in the middle of the night like he uses to, but it’s probably not a good thing that they do that during a time of peace. Plus, Dean can’t guarantee that his colony will take it well to have a bright-fin sneaking into their camp. It’s been a mutually decided thing between him and Cas that they wait for night time cuddles.

Hopefully it’ll happen sooner rather than later. Dean can hardly wait for it. Cas has made it clear on multiple occasions that one of his favourite things is sleeping together with someone. Apparently he’s never done that with someone he wasn’t related to him, so Dean is pretty damn excited to get to be the first. Technically speaking, they _have_ slept together before, but that was just proximity in a cave. They sure as hell weren’t cuddling back then, and for good reason.

 _(Hey, I want to find Cas before I head back to camp.)_ Dean waves Sam off, pulling away while they swim. _(I’ll meet up with you later.)_

Sam flicks understanding through the kin-connection, but accompanies it with a joking amusement. _(Alright, but don’t get too close to the bright-fin’s side. You know how jumpy those guys are.)_

He rolls his eyes and makes sure to smack Sam with his tail as doubles back to swims over him. _(Duh. I do this every night, Sammy. I know what I’m doing.)_

Dean branches away from him after that, turning towards the trench while Sam continues on towards the camp. He still has his bag of fish with him, barely having touched one of them. These will make a nice gift for Cas that he can share with his family. It’s important that Dean proves to them that he’s a good hunter. It might just be a fang-fin thing, but a good hunter can provide for their family and Dean will absolutely do that for Cas and – and whoa, hold the fuck up. His thoughts were about to head off into planning for a _nest_. And that’s just way too serious for right now. Best leave those thoughts for when – for _if_ – things between them end up that way.

It’s Sam’s fault that Dean has nests on the brain anyways. Most days, Sam is working diligently to make a hollow big enough for him, Jess, _and_ a clutch of eggs. Dean knows for a fact that Jess hasn’t been working on a hollow of her own, instead helping some of the older or younger members of the colony with making their own hollows. It’s obvious that she’s fully expecting Sam to invite her to live with him, and Sam fully expects her to live with him too.

Carving out a hollow is a long, slow task. Anyone not doing it for themselves obviously has someone else doing it for them. Either way, Dean is really enjoying it. Regardless of what they’re doing, everyone is keeping busy and he’s found that he enjoys working with his hands. Having something to focus on is totally helping to keep down the urge to fight to expend energy. There hasn’t been nearly as much fighting within the colony as there used to be now that everyone has a home to build.

It’s exactly like what he was thinking about before; changes are hard, but sometimes they really are for the better.

* * *

There are only a few things that occupy Castiel’s thoughts when he’s not busy actually doing work for his colony. His work consists of being a channel between his Council members and the fang-fin, of helping arrange the bright-fin builders to assist the fang-fin, as well as still running his own garrison. Lately the latter has been under Uriel’s command more and more. Things will go back to normal for all of them when the fang-fin have their Council and have finally settled in their new home in the trench.

For now, Uriel is more than happy to carry out the duties of the second in command. It gives Castiel one less thing to worry about during his busy hours. During his downtime he tries to focus less on work and more on his personal life. Specifically speaking, he tries thinking more about Dean - which isn’t too hard considering how Dean is always either around him or very much in the forethought of his mind.

The only problem with thinking about Dean and any potential paths that their future together might take, is that it inevitably leads back to thinking about the fang-fin. It’s not a surprise, considering how _their_ future depends on the future of the entire fang-fin colony. It’s basically an endless cycle of thoughts in his head, and luckily Castiel doesn’t really mind too much. These are things that he enjoys thinking about, after all.

And that is why he’s staring up at the open ocean with his thoughts revolving around those particular lines. He finds himself often obsessed with the candidates being considered for the available Council positions within the fang-fin. One of the many things that Castiel wishes for the fang-fin is to find good leaders who will give the colony a good future. At this point, he’s rather invested in how things turn out for them, especially considering his relationship with Dean.

Dean is such a pleasant focus of thought for him. Castiel has _really_ been enjoying their budding relationship. They’ve been spending a lot of time together because of their jobs, but in that time Castiel has grown very fond of him. Actually, the feelings he had _before_ could have been considered as fond. What he feels now is so much more than that. It’s like they’ve _tripled_ , or quadrupled. They’re growing at an astounding rate and it makes Castiel feel so _good_.

The thing about Dean is that he can make Castiel smile without needing to do a thing. In fact, Castiel is smiling right now and all he’s doing is thinking about him. It makes him want to squirm right where he’s lying on his shelf. Oh, why not! Since no one is around, Castiel does it anyway, squirming in delight. As soon as he’s done, he flips onto his stomach and hides his face in his arms, cheeks hot from his childish display. Hopefully no one was using their echoes right then to see such a thing.

A quiet laugh bubbles up in his throat and Castiel smothers it. Even when he’s not here, Dean manages to make Castiel laugh. That seems to be a speciality of his. With just the smallest of gestures or thoughts, Dean can make him laugh like it’s nothing. He’s never laughed so easily than when he’s with Dean. Thinking about it, and thinking about Dean, makes his chest burn in the best of ways.

Castiel really likes him a lot, even if there are some in his colony who don’t like it. Some are opposed to his relationship because they’re both male, but that number is rather small. The majority of the nay-sayers are upset because Dean is a _fang-fin_. Unfortunately for them, it’s not their opinion that Castiel was worried about. His _family_ is what truly matters to him, and none of them have a problem with his relationship with Dean. They’ve all given Dean their blessing to court him, though threats were made regarding his general safety if Castiel was ever hurt.

Though their protectiveness has been annoying in the past, Castiel finds it entertaining now. Of course he won’t let them actually do anything to Dean, no matter what happens. This is _his_ relationship and _he_ will deal with whatever happens to it. If Dean wants to break his heart, then it’s Castiel’s wrath he will have to face, not his family’s or the rest of the colony.

His thoughts are still immersed in Dean when a call comes across the colony, pushing past the loose barriers he had in place around his mind. It’s one of the guards placed between the bright-fin and fang-fin trench. _(Your presence at the divide is being requested by one of the fang-fin.)_

With a yawn, Castiel stretches and pushes himself to sit up. He drops the remaining barriers he had put in place to block out the voices of the colony so he could get some sleep. _(Is it Dean?)_

At this point, it would be easy for Castiel to stretch his thoughts and find Dean’s mind himself, but he always likes to wait until he sees Dean before making the kin-connection. Otherwise there’s just too much excitement to have Dean in his head but not be able to see him yet.

After a long pause, the guard’s thoughts flicker with slight annoyance. _(Yes.)_

Dean must be doing something to bother the guard. He tends to do that when he’s bored, or when he’s waiting for Castiel, or really for any reason at all. It’s a little amusing, actually. _(I’ll be right there.)_

Really, Castiel should have known better than to try and settle down for the night on his own. Dean has made it a habit to say goodnight before he leaves. He’s been doing it every day since the beginning of the construction on the fang-fin’s area. Since he had been away with Sam, Castiel didn’t think he’d make the detour back to the trench for such a simple thing. It makes his insides feel all tingly and his chest feels light enough that he might just float to the surface if he’s not careful.

With a giddy buzz filling his head, Castiel rolls off his shelf and heads straight to where Dean is waiting for him. It’s only a few short minutes before he’s swimming happy loops around him, not caring how many guards see it happening. The kin-connection slides into place like it was never gone. With the dizzying sensation of Dean’s own happiness in his head, they swim off up and into the deep, Castiel still swimming around him.

Dean doesn’t tolerate the swimming for very long. As soon as they have at least some semblance of privacy, he reaches out and catches Castiel by the arm. He allows himself to be pulled into a hug. It’s a wonderful feeling to be enveloped in Dean’s arms. There are few places to feel truly safe in the deeps, but Castiel feels it here. His arms encircle Dean’s back, pulling him closer. To maintain their buoyancy, he refrains from wrapping his tail around Dean’s. Instead, Castiel uses the rippling of his adipose fins to stay afloat.

A purr rumbles deep in his throat when Dean starts nuzzling his cheek. Castiel melts into the touch. This is only a part of what he’s been missing all these seasons and he loves finally knowing what it feels like. It’s so nice and it warms him from the inside out. He can’t wait for the day when things will be settled enough between their colonies that he’ll be able to share a shelf with Dean for the night. Moments like this could only ever be improved upon by having them just before falling asleep and knowing that they’ll be available to him the moment he wakes up.

Hopefully that day will come soon. Things aren’t perfect between their colonies just yet, but Castiel has high hopes that they will be soon. If things could work out so well between him and Dean, then it can work out between everyone.

*

For the fang-fin Council’s amphitheater, the builders found a natural crevice in the stone wall of the trench. It took dozens of bright-fin and fang-fin working for rotation after rotation after rotation to widen it. Everyone laboured together for days on end to carve out platforms for the fang-fin colony to sit on and shelves for their Council members. It’s not as big as the bright-fin amphitheater, but it will do for now. It’s a basis for the fang-fin to work with and everyone is happy with it.

With their meeting space finished, the colony is finally ready to vote on the last member to their Council. Bobby and Ellen sit with Victor, another fang-fin captain like Dean was – or is. Dean hasn’t exactly made up his mind whether or not he still wants to lead his division. For now, he’s taking a break to focus on helping to build the fang-fin’s home here in the trench. He claims he’ll deal with the rest when he’s ready to – though Castiel has no idea when that might be.

In either case, Dean fully endorses Victor as a member of the Council. In fact, he’s the one who suggested that they give Victor the position of colony leader. It’s an esteemed position, but as one who commanded a division, he knows how to lead. Like Dean, Victor’s entire division was composed of rebels. Each and every one of them has vetted him to be a good and just captain. Though Castiel doesn’t know him that well, he trusts in Dean’s opinion of him.

After Victor had been appointed to Council, the next was a female named Pamela. To Castiel’s understanding, she is a history keeper like Metatron. He was the one who insisted that they have someone like him on their Council to keep track of the colony laws. On top of being a history keeper, Pamela was also a rebel and Castiel is satisfied by that. Also Dean seems to like her, so Castiel does to.

That leaves one final position on the Council and there are a number of names to be considered for it. There are some rebels, some who were formally loyalists, and then there’s Sam. Of course Castiel is rooting for him and he has high hopes that he’ll be the one selected. Sam is the only one that he personally knows of the candidates, so he is rather biased in his own choice of who among them should be on the Council. Especially since he _finally_ put his name in to be considered only a few days before the amphitheater was finished.

As the fang-fin colony gathers in their new meeting place, Castiel stays near the lip of the trench. Metatron and Lucifer are with him, having been the two who were sent over to help shape the fang-fin Council. They’re surrounded by several bright-fin guards, but Castiel pays none of them any mind at all. His focus is on the meeting below. All the bright-fin are quiet as Castiel with them what he’s getting through the kin-connection from Dean and a choice few other fang-gin.

Though Dean _should_ be down among the fang-fin to show support for his brother, he’s not. He is, in fact, floating right next to Castiel and holding his hand rather tightly. The only thing Castiel doesn’t share with the bright-fin around them is Dean’s nervousness. He’s anxious to see who will be chosen and worried because this will be the beginning of a whole new fang-fin colony.

That aside, Dean can’t exactly be down there with Sam anyways. All candidates under consideration are gathered on the floor of the auditorium. They’re facing the five ledges of the Council, all separate from the rest of the colony. Victor is sitting on the middle shelf with Bobby and Ellen sitting to his right and Pamela sitting to his left. There is one shelf left open for one of the lucky candidates waiting for the colony to make their choice.

At the moment, the colony is in discussion, debating between each other who they think would be the best choice. Castiel’s head-fans flicker excitedly whenever he hears of someone saying something positive about Sam. It’s hard not to when Dean’s excitement siphons right into his mind while they float together. Both of them are _really_ hoping that Sam will be picked.

Castiel has learned a lot about the position of Dean’s family in the former colony structure. It’s no secret that Dean thinks things for their family might improve in the eyes of the colony if Sam was chosen for the Council. Especially since apparently both of his parents were on the Council when he was a hatchling. They were usurped and his family has been shamed since them. It’s a sad history, but Castiel is certain that things have already changed for them.

 _(Do you think he’ll make it, Cas?)_ Dean is practically trembling next to him. His tail won’t stop twitching and he keeps bouncing in place.

Castiel finds it hilarious and so very endearing. _(Of course.)_ He brushes his confidence through the kin-connection to soothe the anxious edges of Dean’s mind. _(Sam is the logical choice. They would be remiss not to pick him.)_

 _(You’re only saying that because he’s the only one down that there you actually know.)_ Amusement pulses into their link and Dean sticks his tongue out at him.

 _(That’s not true.)_ It’s slightly true, but Castiel is more than happy to use a little banter to distract Dean from his nerves.

It works when Dean turns a skeptical look on him, a smile already starting to pull at his lips. _(Don’t like to me, Cas. Name **one** candidate down there.)_

Ah-hah! There’s the loop-hole. _(You do realize that everyone has been saying their names repeatedly during the discussion, right?)_ He could name all of them, but that doesn't mean that he actually _knows_ them. That’s a very big difference.

Silence falls between them before Dean coughs and looks away. _(Shut up. I’m frazzled enough waiting for my little brother to make a big name for himself right now.)_

Castiel smiles and twitches his tail, drifting close enough to bump their shoulders together. _(It’s okay, Dean. Sam will make it.)_

 _(I dunno, Cas. It’s pretty close.)_ His grip on Castiel’s hand tightens almost painfully. _(The fang-fin that used to be loyalists don’t think it’s fair if nothing but rebels are on the Council. They want someone who still upholds the old ways at least a little bit.)_

 _(But not **all** of them want that.) _ Castiel pulls his hand free and puts his arms around Dean’s shoulder, pulling him into a half hug. _(And none of the rebels think that’s a good idea. Those former loyalists are merely a very loud minority. Sam has the best chance out of everyone down there.)_

Dean’s hopes float a little higher in the kin-connection, but he doesn’t officially agree. He’s a pessimist more often than not. Castiel can understand why. If your hopes are too high, they leave room for disappointment. If you don’t let them get out of control, if what you want actually happens, then you’re in for a nice surprise. Castiel usually wavers between that and an optimist – and right now he is _very_ optimistic that Sam will win.

It takes a while, but the candidates get narrowed down considerably. When it’s down to the final two, Sam and an older male, Lucifer starts complaining. It’s taken longer than he expected and he’s grown bored. Castiel can’t blame him. His mind has wandered a few times, but he always brings himself back to what’s happening. Castiel doesn’t want to miss anything important, but he doesn’t have the will of Dean to stay completely focused on the events below.

Metatron is weaker than all of them. He has long settled on the edge of the trench, surrounded by his guards, and he’s been napping for most of the time that they’ve been here. Meanwhile, Castiel and Dean haven’t moved from their spot above everyone; watching and waiting for the results.

Now that it’s down to the final two, they both watch with rapt attention as Sam and the other male make their cases. They debate between each other why they believe that they should be on the Council. In Castiel’s opinion, Sam’s argument is much stronger and he’s much more focused on the well being of his people. And that’s why he isn’t surprised – though he is _very_ pleased – when the majority of the colony agrees that Sam would be the best choice for the Council.

A cheer of joy rises in the kin-connection, the loudest of it from Dean. He pulls away from Castiel only to swim in happy circles around him. They’re not nearly as tight as what he can do, but they’re done out of joy more than anything else. It’s making Castiel dizzy to watch, but he lets Dean have his fun. Instead of cheering and swimming, he sings. Lucifer adds his voice to the song of joy, and only a short distance away it picks up in the bright-fin side of the trench. Now everyone will know that the Council has been fully decided upon.

It doesn’t take long for Dean’s circling to make Castiel dizzy. He decides to end it by catching him by the shoulder and bringing him to a stop. The emotions in the kin-connection are running high, just like they were on the day the war ended. There’s  so much joy and relief filling his head that Castiel is thrown back into that day. A particular memory surfaces, bringing a blush to his cheeks and a tingle to his lips. That memory is never very far away, especially recently.

Castiel wants to try it again.

Dean falls silent in the middle of his laugh as Castiel cups his face between his palms. The amusement in his eyes fades into surprise. The kin-connection fills with anticipation from the both of them. They both know what’s about to happen. Dean’s gills ripple alongside his neck as Castiel leans in and gently presses their lips together. It’s a thrilling moment that makes his skin and scales tingle pleasantly. That feeling only grows when he pulls away to find Dean’s eyes wide and glazed.

 _(I believe you should go and congratulate your brother now.)_ Castiel pats him on the cheek and then draws back completely. He regrets it slightly, as he would much rather stay closer and give that kissing thing a try again. But there’s a time and place for everything, and this is not it.

After a moment of blinking, Dean starts suddenly in surprise. There’s a blush building in the light of Castiel’s glow and he enjoys seeing it there. It brings out the freckled spots on Dean’s cheeks rather nicely. Castiel makes a mental note to try and get him to blush more often.

Dean glances down briefly, taking in how Jess, Bobby, Ellen, and a few of their other friends are already swarming Sam. He looks back at Castiel, thoughts hopeful in the kin-connection. _(You should come too.)_

Castiel shakes his head. As much as he would love to celebrate with his many new friends, that will have to wait. _(This is your celebration, not mine.)_ He waves one of his hands in a flippant gesture to get Dean to go along. _(I won’t be as welcome as you are. One day, maybe, but not right now.)_

 _(Fish-shit!)_ He swears and shakes his head as unhappiness starts to leak into the kin-connection. _(You and your Council helped us get to this point, Cas! You deserve to be down there too.)_

His determination warms Castiel’s heart and makes his ribs feel like they’re struggling to hold that feeling in. _(Another day, Dean. Go be with your family.)_

It’s perhaps a bit of a bold gesture, but Castiel swims close enough to press another light kiss to Dean’s cheek. He’s a little giddy with it and forces himself to pull away again before he gives in to the urge to do more. Castiel rather enjoys this recently discovered affinity for giving kisses. It’s made all the better by seeing Dean flush and be flustered by it.

Clearly he is going to need to give more kisses again in the _very_ near future.

Though Dean does try to protest further, he eventually swims down to join the others. Castiel waves him off and makes sure to congratulate Sam through the kin-connection in a private link. That moment is interrupted by Lucifer’s elbow in his side and a cheeky grin. Teasing touches tickle along the edge of his mind and Castiel does his best to ignore it.

Thankfully the swim back to their own home will be a short one. He won’t have to suffer through _too_ much teasing – unless Lucifer chooses to tell the rest of their siblings. If he’s lucky, Castiel might be able to overshadow that with delivering the good news to the rest of the Council about who was picked for the fang-fin Council. This means big things for both their colonies, after all.

Now that both colonies have a Council, they can work out a peace treaty between them. The ambassadors will need to be there to share the thoughts between the two Councils, since some don’t trust so easily yet. The only ones who might make the kin-connection with everyone, besides Dean and Castiel, are the history keepers. They’ll want to remember what is said and done between the two Councils – something that has never happened in the history of either colony.

Castiel looks forward to it. He’s never seen a peace treaty happen before. It’s sure to be interesting – though maybe not as interesting as this new _kissing_ stage of his relationship with Dean.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a laugh, Dean presses a kiss to Cas’s forehead. _(Like I would ever turn you away.)_ And he seriously wouldn’t. Ever. _(Now get some sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up in the morning.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Dean wakes up suddenly with a snort and a rush of water through his gills. Something just touched him in the safety of his hollow and that can only mean one of two things. Somebody is here, or one of the _many_ creatures that lives around the trench is looking for a place to sleep for the night. He discards that idea the moment he’s awake enough to realize that there’s a _hand_ touching the end of his tail, fingers sliding along the hard edge of it.

A warning growl is already rumbling in his throat as he twists around to face the opening of his hollow. On reflex, Dean calls out echoes. They’re pretty unnecessary, given the barely there glow that meets him when he actually opens his eyes. His echoes bring back a familiar shape, and Dean would recognize those pale glow streaks anywhere.

 _(A late night visit, Cas?)_ He grins, fighting back a yawn. Judging by the silence in the kin-connection, it’s obviously still the middle of the night. _(I know I gave you permission to come over whenever you want, but I wasn’t really expecting this.)_ Okay, so that’s only a half truth. Dean really wasn’t _expecting_ Cas to come over so soon after the peace treaty came into effect, but he was definitely _hoping_ for it.

The peace treaty the Councils came to an agreement on basically boils down to the two colonies keeping to themselves until things have settled down. No one, not even the ambassadors, are allowed to pass between the colonies without express permission. They never specified _who_ had to give the permission, so the moment that rule was in place, Dean had given Cas a free pass no matter the time. Some day – and he hopes that’s going to be soon – permission won’t be necessary and the two colonies will basically live together as one. Until then, it’s sneaky permissions and the like.

Dean’s thoughts are obviously lined with his amusement at the situation and his joy at the fact that Cas is here, but apparently those emotions go ignored. Cas is filling the kin-connection with the shivering anxieties of someone doing something he really shouldn’t be doing. His fans are even doing his nervous tick that Dean finds kind of adorable. They’re spreading and folding in on themselves, twitching with every breath and he’s acting pretty darn shifty.

 _(You weren’t – Maybe I – Do you want me to leave?)_ The confusion in the kin-connection is heart wrenching, and it’s only made worse by how much Cas seems to believe that Dean _does_ want him to go.

And then Cas starts drifting away from the hollow and Dean’s heart drops into his stomach. _(Cas, stay.)_ He pushes himself up onto his hands and scoots further back into the hollow. _(Get your tail in here.)_

The hollow isn’t as big as he would like it to be, but it’s still plenty big enough for the both of them. That was always his plan, after all, even though it might be a long time before Cas moves in with him. A long time as in maybe never. Cas might want to live on the bright-fin side on one of their wide open shelves. And it’s not like Dean even knows if their relationship will go that far. He’s just going to have to keep telling himself that he didn’t dig it this big _for_ Cas. He did it because it’s sensible planning for him to build his hollow big enough for two.

Dean dumps those thoughts out of his head and focuses on the moment. This marks the first time that Cas has ever been in his hollow, and he devotes every instance of it to memory. He watches with his entire attention focused on watching Cas fold his back-fans flat and slide through the opening of the hollow. It’s totally unnecessary that he do that, but Cas is just being cautious. The hollow’s opening is just tall enough for Dean to slide through on his belly without his back-fin catching. Either way, Cas’s cautiousness is something Dean likes about him, so he’ll refrain from pointing it out or teasing.

 _(It’s been a while since I had a roof over my head.)_ The kin-connection lightens considerably while Cas makes himself comfortable. He curls up on his side and folds his tail to his chest, hugging it tightly.

Yeah, it’s been forever and a day since that cave where they met – and Dean isn’t counting the times they went head to head on the battlefield. _(I promise that I’ll give you better memories of a cave than I you’ve had before.)_

Ever since the end of the war, Cas has been on his best behaviour with his colony. He’s been purposefully avoiding doing _anything_ that might get him put away in any of the many caverns the bright-fin have on their side of the trench. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle that Cas is willing to come in here – and that’s something Dean is going to thank Mother-sea for _a lot_. There’s really nothing better than having Cas here in his hollow and within arm’s reach.

_(I look forward to it.)_

A smile passes over Cas’s lips, even though his head-fans are still flicking out like he’s nervous. He’s also not settling down like Dean thought he would. His echoes probe every corner of the hollow, like he’s looking for something that might jump out at him. Is he worried that the hollow isn’t safe? Or is he just being curious? Dean thinks Cas’s curiosity is just as adorable as his cautiousness, so he doesn’t mind. It’s not like he has anything to hide.

He reaches out through the kin-connection to smother the ruffled edges of Cas’s mind. _(You can come closer, y’know. I’m not going to bite.)_ When Cas doesn’t move, Dean rolls his eyes. _(I’ve held you plenty of times before.)_

Cas’s fans flare and he ducks his head, hiding his face against his tail. _(But never in your **sleep area**.)_

Well, now. Isn’t _that_ interesting? Dean tilts his head and raises an eyebrow, fighting hard to keep a smirk from his face. _(And what’s so different about that? I don’t know about you, Cas, but all I plan to do here tonight is actually **sleep**.)_

Although Cas tries to hide it, some of his relief flickers through the kin-connection as he lifts his head. His eyes are wide in the light of his glow. _(Really?)_

There’s still an unsure tremble with Cas’s thoughts, but Dean brushes them aside. He reaches out to run his hands through Cas’s hair, pleased when he leans into the touch. _(I told you we were going to move at your pace, and I meant it. I’m going to wait until **you** make the move.)_

It’s pretty obvious when Cas relaxes. His fans stop flickering and he literally sags against the stone floor of the hollow. When Dean reaches out to find his hand, Cas holds it tight enough to press the webbing between their fingers together. After a few heartbeats of indecision, Dean rolls over onto his side and gives their arms a pull. The joy circling in his chest spirals out of control when Cas slides the rest of the way across the hollow without objection.

A purr is already rumbling in Cas’s chest as he tucks himself against Dean’s chest. He uncurls his tail to drape it over Dean’s, using his extra flexibleness to wrap around it slightly. It kind of reminds Dean like how an octopus curls around its victims. Cas even winds his arms around Dean like one, pulling him close. It makes Dean’s gills ripple happily, because Cas wouldn’t do this if he didn’t _want_ to be here. It’s fucking awesome and he rumbles a purr of his own, nuzzling his nose into Cas’s hair.

There’s only a few moments of silence in the hollow before Cas shifts against him. _(Dean?)_

 _(Sleep, Cas.)_ Dean brings a hand to his head and runs his fingers along one of his head-fans. _(Less talking, More sleeping. That’s what we’re doing tonight.)_

Warmth seeps into the kin-connection, drowning the channels of their link with it. Cas fills Dean’s head with his fondness for him. Trembling along the edges of those feelings is a desire that Dean reads loud and clear. Of course they can’t go to sleep yet. He forgot the most important thing!

Dean lifts his head and Cas tilts his face up at the same time for his goodnight kiss. They had one earlier when they parted ways for the night, but that feels like forever ago. Plus, Dean’s not going to miss the chance to kiss Cas here in his hollow. He loves literally everything there is to love about kissing Cas; the feeling of his lips; the gentle emotions that fill the kin-connection; the way his grip tightens. Every kiss with Cas is always so soft and perfect.

Shit. Now this brings up a problem. Dean knows that this is just supposed to be a short and sweet goodnight kiss. He _knows_ this, but now that he has Cas here and wrapped up in his arms, it’s _really_ hard not to take this any further. The kisses are supposed to be sleepy and send them off to the great dream ocean Mother-sea prepares for them at night, but all it’s doing is waking Dean up more and more. He can’t help himself from rocking just a little more into Cas, rolling onto him just a bit more.

It doesn’t get any easier to resist his urges, and especially not when Cas fucking _opens_ to the kiss. He’s never done that before but he does it now and Dean damn near dies. Maybe Cas was just taking a breath through his mouth, or maybe he was planning on pulling away. Whatever it was, Dean doesn’t ever find out because he has the opening and he takes it. Cas huffs sharply through his gills when Dean’s tongue slides against his own. He even goes still in his arms, his blue eyes wide in the light of his glow.

For a heartbeat, Dean thinks he messed up. They’ve never kissed like this before. It’s something new to Cas and, in Dean’s experience, new things in their relationship tends to make Cas freak out a bit if he’s not ready for it. He only _just_ got used to kissing barely more than a rotation or two ago. Dean really doesn’t want to push his luck too far. It took Cas ages to be ready for kissing, and it might take him ages to get used to more.

Luckily, Dean turns out to be completely _wrong_ in this case. Sure, Cas is obviously surprised by it, but he doesn’t pull away and _that_ is what matters here. Eventually, he closes his eyes again and goes loose in his arms again. Dean waits until he feels that hesitant slide of tongue against his own before he does anything again. It’s a little weird to just be lying there with his tongue in Cas’s mouth, but he gets rewarded for it in the end with what turns out to be a _really_ awesome kiss.

Even though he would _really_ like to continue, Dean does eventually bring their kiss to an end. If he doesn’t, he might just kiss Cas through the night and who knows how much his will to hold back would crumble in that time frame. By then, Cas’s purr is a physical rumble Dean can feel against his chest. Clearly he’s pleased with how that went, and Dean knows that he is _definitely_ very happy with how that turned out. He thought it was going to be forever and a day before he’d be allowed to kiss Cas like that.

 _(Thank you for letting me stay tonight.)_ Cas’s thoughts are a pleasant hum through the kin-connection as he nuzzles his nose up under Dean’s chin.

With a laugh, Dean presses a kiss to Cas’s forehead. _(Like I would ever turn you away.)_ And he seriously wouldn’t. Ever. _(Now get some sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up in the morning.)_

Dean sighs happily and hugs Cas tightly. He never thought it would be _this_ nice to go to sleep holding Cas. It’s so comfortable to have him in his arms, listening to his purr fade out as he falls asleep. The sleep haze settles over Cas’s half of the kin-connection and Dean treasures that moment. It’s the first time he’s felt it happen with Cas and it’s fucking _awesome_.

It’s almost as awesome as waking up to a cool body pressed against his side in the morning. He’s never had a tail draped over his own like Cas’s tail is, practically wound around it with his end-fins spread to cover as much of Dean’s scales as he can. Even the soft puffs of water against his shoulder when Cas exhales through his gills are nice too. There’s a soft hum in the water, like Cas wants to sing but he’s trying to be quiet for Dean.

Holy shit, this morning is _perfect_.

Cas hums and drags his fingers across Dean’s back. He’s tracing the scars on his skin and back-fin. After a while, Cas’s fingers start tapping in random places. When he realizes what’s going on, Dean has to smother the urge to laugh. Either Cas is just touching them, or he’s counting his spots. Whatever it is, Dean thinks it’s adorable and he would _happily_ wake up like this every day. His desire for that increases exponentially when the haze in the kin-connection fully lifts and the first thing he feels is a wave of warmth and delight.

Those feelings are reflected in Cas’s eyes when Dean finally opens his own and looks up at him. _(I should wake up like this more often.)_

Another purr starts rumbling in Cas’s chest and he leans in to bump their foreheads together. _(That can be arranged.)_ He tilts his head and nuzzles at Dean’s check. _(I spoke with a member of my colony and she’s willing to trade sleep shelves with me. I’ll be **much** closer to the fang-fin’s half of the trench once we make the switch.)_

Dean pushes up on his hands sharply, a whooshing tightness filling his chest. A wide smile splits his face. _(For real? That’s great!)_

When Cas is at his normal sleep shelf, the distance is far enough that the kin-connection is somewhat strained between them. With the both of them at the closest points of their colonies, the kin-connection will be much stronger. Even if they’re not able to spend the night together, they’ll at least still be able to talk and share their thoughts and emotions. That’s definitely better than nothing.

This is such good news that Dean doesn’t hesitate to roll onto Cas and start pressing kisses to his face. There’s two stupid smiles in the way of proper kisses, so this is just going to have to do for now. _(Once you move, are you going to give me permission to sneak over to your sleep shelf at night too?)_

Cas hums again, though this time it’s a thoughtful one instead of part of a song. _(Perhaps.)_

With a snort, Dean pushes himself up just so he can grin down at him. _(Aw, that’s cute. Look at you trying to act like you don’t want me over.)_

Part of Dean is actually worried that might be the case, but the rest of him is pretty damn confident that Cas wants to spend as many nights together as they can. Last night was awesome and this morning is awesome and Dean can’t fucking wait for the day to come where they can do this every night. He really seriously truly hopes that’s in the future for them. If Cas breaks things off between them before they reach that, it’ll suck _a lot_.

He never thought it would get this far, but Dean is kinda maybe sorta falling a lot harder for Cas than he thought he would be. Harder and faster than intended, actually. Whatever the case, though, he wants Cas around for a long time. There’s just so many great things about Cas that Dean knows he’s going to miss like crazy if Cas up and decided that this relationship thing just wasn’t for him.

_(I would do no such thing.)_

It takes a second for Dean to realize that Cas is responding to what he said last and not his thoughts. Those are still very much his and they were not shared _at all_.

Cas loops up at him with serious eyes and a soft smile. _(I do like you, Dean. Quite a bit.)_ He reaches up and his hands are soft around Dean’s face. _(That’s why I came over here last night.)_

Something hot and almost painful curls tight in Dean’s chest and he drops back down onto Cas, hiding his face against his shoulder so he can’t see what’s going to be a really ridiculous expression on his face. This is getting sappy and heavier than what he expected from this morning.

Quick! Time for him to divert Cas’s attention before he says anything else sappy. _(You had a craving for some cuddling, huh?)_

 _(Yes.)_ Cas hugs Dean tightly and fills the kin-connection with his amusement. _(And I wanted to sleep with you. I thought it would be nice and I wasn’t disappointed.)_ He sighs and wraps his tail around Dean too, going full octopus again. _(I believe I’ll have trouble sleeping on my own now.)_

With a laugh, Dean lifts his head and kisses him. He can’t resist it when Cas says things like that, or when he fills the kin-connection with such soft feelings. Mother-sea help him, he’s falling so bad for this sweet, caring bright-fin too fast. Seriously, if he thought he liked Cas before, then what the heck is he feeling now, huh? It’s definitely _something_ , that’s for sure.

It’s a good thing that Cas enjoyed last night as much as Dean did. He’s always preferred having another body next to him when he’s sleeping, and Cas was _great_ to sleep with. Cas didn’t even seem to mind that Dean prefers sleeping on his stomach, or that he might roll onto him in the middle of the night at some point. In fact, he’s pretty sure that’s what happened last night. Dean woke up on his stomach this morning with Cas beside him, so he definitely rolled over.

Sometimes it’s annoying to be a fang-fin. Dean’s back-fin keeps him from sleeping on his back unless he’s wiggling down into the sand. From that experience alone, he knows that it’s comfortable to be on his back. Even his arm-fins make it a little uncomfortable to sleep on his side. The only position where he can get a good night’s sleep is when he’s on his stomach.

Those thoughts are ones that Dean lets colour the edges of the kin-connection. They’re only partially shared, but Cas still smiles at him and lifts his head to kiss him back. _(It’s fine, Dean. I’m flexible and I’m used to my siblings piling on me while I sleep. If you did roll on me last night, it didn’t even wake me up.)_

It’s almost unbelievable that Cas is just so _awesome_. Dean is absolutely falling in love and that’s amazing and terrifying and all kinds of everything. And that’s enough thinking about that. This is a good thing, but it makes his heart race and his gills ripple and Dean is going to work himself up into some kind of frenzy if he thinks about it too much. Instead, he should focus on the here and the now; like the fact that he can stay here kissing Cas in his hollow until someone somewhere calls for one of them.

* * *

Castiel tosses and turns on his shelf, frowning in every direction. Every night this rotation, he and Dean have been sneaking back and forth between their sleep areas. There’s a certain thrill to doing that in secret – or rather, _supposed_ secret. Castiel is just shy of being positive that at least one fin-kin in either of their colonies knows what they’ve been doing. At some point, one of them must have been spotted by a sentry. If they haven’t by now, then it’s some kind of miracle.

The only reason someone wouldn’t have caused a scene in either of their colonies about it is that Castiel made it quite clear to his colony that Dean is allowed over to see him whenever he wishes. Dean did the same with his colony. Because of that, it’s not exactly _necessary_ that they sneak over every night. Castiel does it purely because if his siblings found out about it, they would never let him live it down.

But after a whole rotation of sharing their sleep areas with each other, Castiel is finding it difficult to fall asleep on his own. He has Dean sitting on the edge of his mind, their link trembling slightly – and it’s not because it’s strained by the distance between them. At this point, he can’t tell if it’s his own discomfort or Dean’s. They’re both waiting for their colonies to settle down for a little long before Castiel makes his way over to Dean’s hollow.

After everything that has happened to him since the beginning of this warm, he never thought that he would enjoy sleeping in a small cave like that. Dean makes it more than tolerable and Castiel might actually _prefer_ it to his sleep shelf. Over the last rotation, they have most certainly spent more time in Dean’s hollow than over here. It just offers better protection and Castiel has a particular affinity for the privacy it provides while they kiss and cuddle.

Now his own shelf feels so empty to him. It’s not as cozy as the hollow. He believes that it’s entirely because Dean is not here. His shelf doesn’t feel like that when Dean is sleeping next to him, holding him close. While their bodies are normally rather cool, Castiel always feels warm when Dean is next to him. Perhaps that’s just his physical reaction to being chock full of _happiness_. Some days it feels like he’s going to burst just from how happy he feels.

By this point in his life, Castiel has found very few things that feel as good as having Dean next to him when he falls asleep, and still having him there when he wakes up. Whenever Dean wakes up before him, and that surprisingly doesn’t happen as often as Castiel had thought it would, he always wakes him up in the nicest of ways. To date, Dean has woken him with nuzzles and soft nips to the underside of his jaw. That’s just as enjoyable as when he simply runs his fingers through Castiel’s hair until he wakes.

Though those are very nice, sometimes, Castiel doesn’t want to wake up at all purely from being too tired. He’s been awake much later than usual just so he can wait for Dean to sneak over or for when he can make his move. And it’s not like they go to sleep _immediately_ when they’re together. They’ve stayed awake even later just to talk and kiss – which is something they do in the morning too.

Castiel actually hates when they have to leave the hollow. He’s never been this lazy before, but now that he’s discovered how enjoyable it is to just stay curled up with Dean in the privacy of his hollow, he wants to do it all the time. He loves these private moments between them when they share their memories and stories – both personal and of the colony. They’re still learning so much about each other and it’s absolutely wonderful.

He loves every single one of those moments and more.

After this one rotation, Castiel is quickly coming to the decision that he _really_ wants to go to sleep every night with Dean and wake up with him every morning. How long will it be until that’s a possibility? So far the two colonies have been civil to each other, but there’s been minimal interaction between them since the peace treaty. It’s going to be a while yet before true peace is found between them. Is he going to have to wait that long before he can move into Dean’s hollow or have Dean move to his shelf?

No, that won’t do. Dean would have just made a shelf if that’s what he wanted to sleep on. Instead, he made a fang-fin hollow because that’s what he’s comfortable with. If Castiel wants him to move over onto this side of the trench, he should work at digging out a hollow at the edge of the shelf. They could have the best of both worlds. Granted, he should only do that to the shelf he’s going to be moving to within the next few days.

And isn’t he getting rather ahead of himself here? Who’s to say that he and Dean are going to be together that long? They might never want to share a shelf or a hollow permanently. Castiel knows that he’d like to do that _now_ , but it’s much too soon, isn’t it? Doing that would be rushing into things instead of taking things slow, which is what he wants. He wants to feel out this relationship with Dean slowly and let it develop at its own pace.

But that brings up a new question; how long is _that_ going to take?

With a groan, Castiel flips onto his back again. He thumps his tail against his shelf and rubs his hands over his face. Why is it that his mind only stops at night when Dean is with him? Why is he having so much trouble remembering what it was like to sleep on his own, even though he did that for the vast majority of his life? This is unfair and frustrating and – and – and is he able to go to Dean’s hollow yet?

Tentatively, he casts his touch out into the colony wide kin-connection. The only minds that should be bright and awake are the ones of the sentries. Castiel knows exactly how many sentries there are on duty today and he counts them out with each awake mind that he finds. In the end, there are a handful or two of bright-fin who are still awake when they should be sleeping. He should probably wait for them to go to sleep too, but Castiel is done waiting. At this point, he’s too tired and frustrated to care who finds out that he’s left his shelf. Castiel wants to sleep too and it’s not going to happen here.

Aside from the many fish that make their way through the trench at night, nothing else is moving as Castiel slips from his shelf and heads off in the direction of the fang-fin. The kin-connection between him and Dean grows stronger the closer he gets. It becomes even more evident that Dean is wide awake and waiting for him. Delight spirals through their link when he realizes that Castiel is on his way.

The swim is relatively short, but it’s long enough for a realization to strike him. With everything that’s been happening between their colonies – like the setup of the fang-fin Council, the building of their half of the trench, the formation of the peace treaty, and his developing relationship with Dean – it’s actually been more than a season since the end of the war. So many rotations have come and gone and he hardly noticed it at all. That brings Castiel to a stop and he mentally counts each rotation that has passed to make sure.

Dear Mother-sea! Since the end of the war, they’re now already halfway through the _second season_. It feels like so little time has passed since then, but it makes sense that it’s been that long. Digging out hollows and forming an auditorium for the Council – that all took time. _Lots_ of time. There are some fang-fin families that are still working on digging hollows big enough for their entire family. Some want hidden spaces to store treasures and they’re still digging deeper into the sides of the trench, adding actually rooms to their hollows.

This utterly baffles Castiel as he finishes the rest of his short journey to Dean’s hollow. How did so much time pass him by without his realizing it?

The worst part of it all is that he’s been with Dean for a season and a half and there are still some very important things that he needs to say to him. At this point in time, there’s only one thing that he’s actually ready to say. It’s not fair to Dean that he hasn’t said it yet because it could change how Dean holds himself in their relationship.

As he settles for the night in Dean’s arms again, Castiel resolves that he’ll tell him tomorrow and not a moment later.

*

 _(So what do you feel like having this morning?)_ Dean swims ahead of Castiel, dodging in and around various rocks and coral. He only stops to investigate the fat lumps of sponge, poking at them to determine if he wants to eat one or not. The outsides are hard, but once they crack through, the insides are soft and sweet.

Castiel shrugs and adjust his course slightly, knowing that Dean will follow him even if he’s not heading towards the feeding grounds. _(I’ll eat just about anything today.)_

Sure enough, Dean starts after him as he falls behind. _(Want me to catch you something?)_

It’s sweet how earnest Dean is with hunting for him. Apparently in the fang-fin culture, courting involves proving that one can provide for their mate. Bright-fin do it too, but it’s not as important to them. There has always been an abundant food source nearby that anyone can grab to eat. Not to mention that there are hunters who provide for the whole colony too.

Having someone hunt for him isn’t even necessary because Castiel is a very good hunter himself, but he likes letting Dean think it’s needed. He finds it endearing, really – which is why he lets Dean hunt for him now. It gives Castiel the chance to stretch his muscles with a leisurely swim and subtly guide their course. He has a location in mind for where he wants to tell Dean his very important things. It’s a little surprising that Dean hasn’t noticed where they’re going yet.

They’ve practically reached the location by the time Dean realizes where they are. By then they’ve both eaten their fill. Castiel swims circles around the area as Dean glances around. _(Wow, this place brings back memories.)_

Castiel hums and tries to hide his smile. _(It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?)_

This is where they used to hold their secret meetings during the war. As far as Castiel knows, neither one of them has been back here since then. He had briefly considered finding the cave where they first got to know one another, but it’s so far and the thought of going back in there made his chest feel too small. This place is much better. It’s _here_ where they truly became friends – where their feelings for one another truly started.

Dean gives Castiel a long look and reaches through the kin-connection to stroke the edges of his mind. _(Are you doing okay, Cas? You’ve been off all morning.)_

He nods and tightens his circles up considerably, getting closer and closer to Dean. Eventually, he’s close enough to touch. Without hesitation, Dean reaches out and grabs his arm, dragging him in for a hug. Castiel sighs happily and leans into his chest, curling his tail around Dean’s. At that point, they sink down to the sandy bottom.

Curiosity pulses at him through the kin-connection, edged with a slight concern. Dean rubs his hands up and down Castiel’s back, pressing his knuckles in where the webbing of his back-fans connects to his back. It feels amazing and Castiel almost wants to melt into it and forget everything else. But he can’t do that. He’s got a plan for what has to happen now – and of course _now_ is when his heart decides to flutter behind his ribs like a million trapped jellyfish.

Castiel takes a deep breath to brace himself. He pulls away to look Dean in the eye, even going so far as to cup his face so he doesn’t look away. Immediately Dean fills the kin-connection with concern. It fades away as Castiel leans in to brush a soft kiss against his cheek.

 _(I forgive you.)_ He lets his word sink into the kin-connection, accompanying them with brief memories of the things Dean has done that he’s worked so hard to correct.

As soon as the thought registers, Dean goes rigid against him. Shock bounces brightly through their link. When he determines that no other thoughts are forthcoming, Castiel decides to continue.

 _(I forgave you a long time ago, but I never said it.)_ He leans in until their foreheads touch. _(I should have said it before and I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to say it.)_

Dean’s arms tighten around his back. _(Cas –)_

He kisses him to end the thought, shushing it quietly in the kin-connection. _(I have more to say.)_ But it’s not something he wants to say with words. Instead, Castiel simply opens his mind to the kin-connection and lets his feelings spill into it.

At this point in their relationship, Castiel isn’t certain what he wants to call how he feels for Dean. All he knows is that he makes him happy, he’s always looking forward to seeing him and spending time with him, and his heart has never felt so full. Castiel takes every single bit of those feelings and dumps them into their link one after the other.

Dean’s reaction is immediate. His mind lights up as bright as Castiel’s glow. He’s happier than he was when the war ended or when his Council was formed. This time, however, they don’t need any excuses for their excited kisses. Dean laughs into them, almost rocking Castiel in his arms as he kisses him. Laughter bubbles in Castiel’s throat too when the walls around Dean’s mind drop and he shares his own feelings. They’re extremely similar and it feels _amazing_ to have them in the kin-connection.

When Castiel first encountered the fang-fin, he honestly never thought that _this_ is where things would end up. He had hoped they would move into the trench and their two colonies could leave in peace with each other. They’re definitely on their way to achieving that. He had hoped to learn about the fang-fin colony and their history, and he’s been given that through Dean. But not once did he ever think that he would come to care so much for one of the fang-fin. He never considered the idea that he very well might want to take one for his mate.

Despite all the many unexpected twists and turns that they took to get to this point, Castiel is definitely pleased with it. If it wasn’t for everything that had happened, he might never have found something – some _one_ – he never thought he would have. Only Mother-sea knows whether or not he and Dean would have met and become so close if the war had never happened.

Since the beginning of the war, Castiel has learned more about himself than he ever thought possible. Or than that, he learned that he can love. He’s not sure if that’s what he feels for Dean now, but he has the sneaking suspicion that it is. If that’s the case, then he’s fairly confident that Dean loves him too.

And _that_ is more than he could ever have asked for – and it’s more than he will ever want.

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the "final" chapter! The story ends here, but there will be an epilogue for all those interested where the sexy times will be occurring. I couldn't find a good place to fit it in during the story line, so it's going to take place _after_ it!
> 
> 2016 has not been a kind year in regards to finding the time and the energy to write. I am _so_ thankful to my readers for how patient and kind they have been with waiting between chapters. Beneath the Surface has been kicking around in my head since the days when Out of the Deep was being written and I'm so happy to have finally gotten in down into proper words. I hope I did it the justice it deserves. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has followed this project, both the new readers and the old. Your encouragement and your kind words are often the only thing that keeps me writing. I love each and every one of you so much and I would never finish anything if it wasn't for you wonderful people. I can't thank you enough ♥ xoxoxo ♥ 
> 
> I sincerely hope that you will be sticking around and that you'll enjoy everything else to come!


	27. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Out of the Deep fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/ootd+fanart) | [Beneath the Surface fanart](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/fangfin+fanart) | [Fang-fin characters and their sharks](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/post/117979749993/beneath-the-surface-the-fang-fin) | [Bright-fin designs and Dean's fang-fin design](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/ootdchar)

Castiel sighs and rubs a hand over his face, watching as a fang-fin swims away with half a giant flat fish. She tows it behind her by its large bottom fin since it has no tail and leaves a trail of blood in her wake. Smaller fish stream after her, stealing quick bites of her prize. The bright-fin in front of Castiel gives him a disapproving look that she turns to Dean next. With a loud huff of water through her gills, she twists around and swims off in the opposite direction, dragging the other half of the flat fish by its equally large top fin. She leaves a trail behind her, just like the fang-fin.

Dean puts a hand on Castiel’s shoulder and gives him a grim smile. _(Don’t let their bad mood spoil yours. We made the right decision.)_

He returns Dean’s smile but doesn’t really feel it. With two hunters both claiming that they were the one to kill the fish, cutting it down the middle with his sword really was the fairest decision to make. They had both attacked it at the same time and their memories can’t confirm which one of them was the one who gave the killing blow. This way, they both get equal shares of meat for their families and colony – as long as they get it back to the storage caverns prior to a much more vicious predator comes along.

With an arm around his shoulders, Dean starts guiding Castiel back towards the trench. _(C’mon, Cas, shake it off. That’s not the hardest decision us ambassadors have ever had to make.)_

That’s true, of course. But it feels like they’ve been handling disputes like this forever. The war has been over for so many seasons now and there is still animosity between the colonies. Spats like this have been fewer and farther between, but Castiel still feels like they’ve made no progress. Where is the peace that he always wished they had? Where is the peace he had hoped for when the fang-fin were first seen around here?

Every time he and Dean are called to silly disputes like this, a little bit of Castiel’s hope for peace breaks away and crumbles. It’s just so _frustrating_. There are some who have made friends between the colonies, but there are so few of them and they hardly interact that sometimes Castiel feels like he and Dean are the only ones who get along on a daily basis. Either way, he’s _very_ thankful to have Dean with him through all of this – and, of course, that they have their Councils backing them up.

Both Councils have been doing a wonderful job of managing their colonies. The Fang-fin’s new Council is every bit of what Castiel hoped they would be and he is so proud of them. He loves sitting in on their meetings and seeing how hard they’re all working to fix what the previous Council broke in their colony. They still want to be their own colony, but they’re relying heavily on all the ground work the bright-fin have done with their own colony.

Dean claims that all the meetings are boring, no matter what happens during them, but he still attends each one with Castiel. As an ambassador, his position with his colony kind of requires that he attend them – and not only the meetings of his Council. He also has to accompany Castiel to the ones held by Michael and the bright-fin Council – which is even more boring than those of his own colony, apparently.

According to him, Dean’s favourite part about his position is when he gets to handle disputes like they did today. If they can deal with it on their own, they have the authority to do so. They also have the authority to decide whether or not it’s something that needs to be brought in front of the Councils. Dean even enjoys carrying messages back and forth between the Councils more than he does having to listen in at the meetings.

Aside from still being the only ambassadors, Castiel and Dean are also still the only inter-colony couple. There are still plenty who disapprove of their relationship, but Castiel wears the so-called _stigma_ with pride. As an ambassador, he has the full authorization of both Councils to verbally tear into anyone who speaks poorly of his relationship with Dean. Technically speaking, it’s more for being able to berate anyone who badmouths either colony or their Councils, but he uses it to teach everyone that there is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with taking a lover from the neighbouring colony.

Gabriel has had to deal out quite a few punishments in the beginning of their peace times, purely because so many people were speaking ill of their neighbours. Of course none of the punishments were ever very harsh. In fact, they were more _inconvenient_ than anything else. At one point he had directed someone to spend a rotation doing nothing else but watching over his snail garden and tending to them. Someone else had been given the task of plucking parasites from the glowing coral that the colony has cultivated to mark paths and directions around the trench.

Needless to say, Gabriel has been enjoying himself immensely since the end of the war. He’s not the only one either. Although animosities still remain, the atmosphere of the colony has lightened considerably. Castiel knows firsthand exactly how that feels. That relief that it’s all over; the joy at being able to finally _relax_ without having to constantly be on guard. It’s an exquisite feeling, and it’s one that Castiel basks in every night when he goes to sleep in Dean’s hollow.

By some miracle of chance, not one of his siblings has taken the opportunity to tease him for no longer using his own shelf. He knows that they’ve noticed, but they haven’t said a word. Castiel really should go back there at least once a rotation to sleep, just in case, but he can’t bring himself to do it. He feels safe and happy in Dean’s hollow. It’s comfortable and protected from the open ocean. That’s not to say that he doesn’t feel safe on his own shelf, of course. It’s just that the hollow has Dean and his shelf doesn’t.

After gradually starting to spend more and more nights there until it was every night, Castiel doesn’t want to sleep anywhere else now. The only thing his shelf is good for anymore is storing the mementos and things that he’s collected throughout his life. Actually, he’s been thinking about sitting down with Dean and showing him all of that. They haven’t had the time to do it before and right now Castiel could use something easy to relax after the argument they just settled.

 _(Come with me.)_ He grabs Dean’s hand and twists in the direction of the trench, dragging him along. _(I want to show you some things.)_

 _(Are they fun things?)_ Dean laughs and swings after him. He matches Castiel’s speed so they can swim comfortably while still holding hands.

Castiel nods but elaborates no further. They swim past the guards posted around the edge of the trench and no one even looks in their direction. It’s possible for bright-fin and fang-fin to move between the two sections of the trench now without permission needed, but Castiel is certain that no one does it besides him and Dean. Whether it’s out of fear or something else, the two colonies tend to stick to their own areas. That’s something he’s sure will come to change. They just need enough time to adjust.

Once they reach his shelf, Castiel leaves Dean to make himself comfortable. Against the back wall of the shelf, there are a handful of large rocks covering nooks and crannies that the previous shelf owner had dug into the wall for their own things. Castiel moves one of the rocks and starts pulling out a few items. When Dean sees what he’s doing, he drags himself closer so he can sit with his shoulder against the wall.

 _(What’s this?)_ He picks up a shell that’s almost the size of his palm. It spirals out from a side base to a narrow tip. _(It’s pretty neat looking.)_ The shell reflects all sorts of colours in the light of Castiel’s glow and Dean leans in closer to get a better look at it.

Castiel smiles and traces the length of the shell to its tip. _(This was Gabriel’s favourite shell. He bet it against me during a race when we were hatchlings.)_

Dean laughs and puts it aside. _(That’s what he gets for thinking anyone could beat you in a race.)_

 _(I appreciate the compliment, but we both know that I’m not **the** fastest swimmer in the colony.) _He shakes his head with a smile and puts an intricately carved stone in Dean’s hand.

Interest fills the kin-connection and Dean starts turning it over in his hands, trying to trace the different whorls and holes that have been made in it. _(What is this thing?)_

 _(Anna made it.)_ Castiel sighs fondly at the memory and the pride she had when she gave it to him. _(It was her first attempt at stone work. The first pendant she ever made.)_

Dean glances up at him, an eyebrow raise. _(Your sister makes jewelry?)_

He shrugs and takes the stone back to put it in the hole with the shell. _(She used to a long time ago, before the war. I’m confident that she’ll pick it up again soon, when she’s more settled from all the changes that have happened because of it.)_

Understanding filters through the kin-connection and Dean nods along to the explanation. His fascination is still the brightest feeling in their link as Castiel hands him a few other items, all works of Anna’s. Anything she made for practice was given to him – or, to be more accurate, Castiel stole them from her. She was going to throw them to the bottom of the trench eventually anyways. This way, he has her humble beginnings, and he treasures them.

 _(Could she do something like make a stone holder for a pearl?)_ Dean asks the question seemingly out of nowhere as he hands the last of the trinkets back.

Castiel frowns in thought while putting everything away. He runs over a mental list of everything that Anna has made over the seasons. _(You mean like something that could be worn on a necklace or a bracelet while it holds a pearl?)_

Dean nods. _(Yeah.)_

 _(I suppose so, but she would need to see the pearl before she could do it.)_ He shrugs and puts a hand on the next stone to move out of the way, but then he pauses and squints at Dean. _(Why?)_

With a shrug, Dean looks away and his thoughts drift into a distinctly suspicious tone. _(No reason.)_

Before Castiel can question him about it, Dean sits up sharply and twists to look behind him. _(Sam and the other hunters are back.)_

Sam left? Castiel wasn’t aware that he wasn’t here. True, it has been several days since he saw him last, but it’s not uncommon to not see someone for that long when everyone is doing their own thing. Castiel is often busy with matters of the Council and peacekeeping between the colonies. He can’t keep tabs on everyone. In fact, he barely keeps track of his own siblings, let alone Dean’s. And for another thing, why didn’t Dean tell him before that Sam was gone? How long has been away?

All these questions and more spill into the kin-connection, but Dean only laughs at them. He pushes himself up off the shelf and gestures for Castiel to follow. _(C’mon, Sam wants to see me. I’ll explain everything on the way.)_

He had better or he’s going to get quite the mindful for keeping things from him.

As it turns out, Sam left with a group of “hunters” just over a rotation ago. Although they were setting out to do some hunting, their quarry had nothing to do with food. According to Dean, they were going looking for the biggest, brightest, shiniest _pearls_.

They’re halfway to Sam when Castiel realizes what that means. He swims ahead to cut Dean off and bring them both to a stop. _(Sam went to find a pearl for Jess!)_

Dean grins at him, all bright and happy. _(He sure did! He wants her to be his mate officially and for good.)_ Delight sings through the kin-connection with his words.

Castiel is happy for them both, but one question comes to mind. _(But does she want that? What will happen if she declines the pearl?)_ There’s zero doubt in his mind that she’ll accept it, but he’s rather curious to find out what happens in the case that a pearl is rejected.

With no small shred of amusement, Dean shares a memory from not more than a handful of rotations ago. Apparently he was witness to Jess telling Sam that if she doesn’t get a pearl in a certain period of time, he’ll be swimming with a limp for the rest of his life. The memory makes Dean laugh and it brings a smile to Castiel’s lips. There was no malice in Jess’s threat. She truly does want to be Sam’s mate. Whether that includes being a bond-mate is unknown and that’s too private for Castiel to ask about.

But it does bring up other questions for him. _(If Jess wants to be mated to Sam so badly, can’t she just got and get a pearl and be the one to give it to Sam?)_

 _(She will, but after he gives her one.)_ Dean twists around Castiel to start swimming again. _(In our culture, the male usually gets the pearl first so he can propose to the female. If she believes he’s a strong enough mate to protect and provide for her while she’s heavy with eggs or watching over a nest and hatchlings, then she’ll accept his pearl and go find one to propose right back to him. If she can’t find an acceptable one, then the engagement is usually off until they try again later – unless they really like each other and the guy doesn’t care about it.)_

Now that’s just ridiculous. _(Why does it matter if she can’t find a pearl or not?)_

 _(Not being able to find a pearl usually means that she’s not a good hunter or gatherer and might not be able to provide for the family if the male get injured, dies, or when he’s just not there.)_ He shrugs and glances back to make sure that Castiel is still following. _(It wasn’t always like that, though. The hunting thing came after we became nomadic. The area we used to live in was really dense and popular with pearls, but then they became hard to find when our colony started travelling. It became proof of being a good hunter or gatherer if you could find one.)_ He shrugs and looks ahead again. _(Or so I’ve been told.)_

Castiel frowns in thought, swimming forward to be even with Dean. _(Your mating ways sound so convoluted compared to ours. All we do is sing songs to each other.)_ But for an outsider, maybe their songs sound complicated? They’re something colony members have been learning since birth, after all.

Of course, that wasn’t the last of his questions either. _(What happened if the pair are not male and female? What if it’s two females? Or two males, like us?)_

Dean hums and spares a quick glance at him. _(Then it’s just a matter of who gets to it first.)_

Oh, really now? That is especially interesting. Castiel spends the rest of their swim thinking about it. They’ve almost reached Sam when he comes to a stop again. _(Okay, I believe I understand now.)_

With a sigh, Dean swims in a circle to come back to him. _(Yeah, Cas?)_

 _(If, for example, the two of us were to be mated by the ways of your colony, then it wouldn’t matter which of us was the first to go get the pearl.)_ When he pauses, Dean nods and Castiel considers it permission to continue. _(But if you wanted to propose to me, would you simply go off and do it without consulting me? Sam and Jess seem to have discussed it, but what happens in the case that a pair don’t talk about it beforehand?)_

 _(I don’t know anyone who hasn’t talked about it first.)_ A small smile lifts the corner of Dean’s mouth and he tilts his head. _(And since you asked; I would definitely talk to you about it first. I’d want to be sure that you would actually want me as your mate before I considered doing anything. I wouldn’t propose to you outta the blue or anything without being sure that you were ready for it.)_

Castiel can feel colour start to fill his cheeks and he ducks his head to hide it. _(In example, of course.)_

 _(Yeah, of course.)_ Though Dean agrees, that suspicious feeling from before still lines his thoughts. This time, though, it’s more like Dean is suspicious of Castiel’s questions. And there’s more to his thoughts than he’s letting on.

With that, Dean turns on his tail and starts swimming again. Unfortunately for him, Castiel isn’t finished with his questions. On top of that, now he’s suspicious about the odd feelings floating around the edges of Dean’s mind in the kin-connection. His curiosity cannot be abated this easily and he _needs_ to figure this out. The only thing that’s going to make Castiel back off is if Dean shuts his feelings to him completely before they reach Sam.

_(Dean, may I ask you one more question?)_

After a pause and another sidelong glance, Dean nods. _(Yeah, go ahead.)_

 _(Do you want to give me a pearl?)_ Castiel is aware that his question might be a bit unexpected, but this is a topic they should eventually discuss anyways.

Besides, they _have_ been in a relationship for quite some time now. It’s been nearly four seasons since the end of the war and they decided to try being together not long after that – although it did take a while for them to have their first kiss. It’s been four long seasons since then and Castiel is very pleased with how things have been going between them, even though there are still certain _things_ that they haven’t done yet. Plenty of kissing and cuddling, but that’s where it’s ended and _that_ is another conversation for them to have at a later date.

His question brings Dean to a sharp and sudden stop. The kin-connection explodes with surprise and Dean’s jaw drops slightly as he blinks at him. _( **What**?)_

 _(The way you’ve been looking at me and the subtle edges to your thoughts lead me to believe that you might have been considering this.)_ Castiel drifts to a stop but watches Dean keenly. _(Am I wrong?)_

 _(What – I – dude, no!)_ Dean swallows thickly and looks away. _(I mean, yeah, but **no**. And – I – Well –) _

Interesting. Dean doesn’t get flustered like this very often anymore. Castiel tilts his head and regards him quietly, waiting for when his thoughts will stop stuttering. Eventually they just peter out and he’s eft staring hard at the empty ocean beyond Castiel’s shoulder.

_(Are you done?)_

Dean huffs loudly and shoves a hand through his hair. _(You can’t just throw a question like that at a guy, Cas. It’s not good for their heart.)_

Castiel shrugs and adopts an apologetic edge for his next thoughts. _(I’m simply wondering why your thoughts have started to feel shifty since I brought us up as an example.)_

Immediately, Dean hunches his shoulders and bares his teeth. _(I’m not shifty. **You’re** shifty!)_

The kin-connection gets washed over with his defensiveness. Castiel does his best to remain calm while he waits for it to pass. He continues watching Dean coolly and it’s not more than a few moments before he cracks. Dean throws his hands up and turns away, falling into his old pattern of swimming circles when he’s frustrated or on edge.

_(Fine. You wanna know what I think about giving you a pearl?)_

_(Yes, I do.)_ After nearly four seasons together, it’s about time they had such a discussion, isn’t it?

Dean throws an unhappy glare at Castiel as he circles around him. If he didn’t already know that Dean just doesn’t like being suddenly confronted with emotional discussing like this, Castiel would be insulted that he opposes talking about it so much. It’s been a long time since either of them have brought up a conversation about their relationship and that could be one there’s one thing that they haven’t gotten to yet. Something that Castiel knows Dean values more than he does.

 _(Okay, fine.)_ With a growl, Dean comes to a stop again. _(I’ve thought about it, **okay**? I’ve thought about finding a pearl and giving it to you and what it would be like to be mated to you.) _ The hard edge to his thoughts fades considerably and he softens as he looks Castiel in the eye again. _(I’ve thought about the look on your face if I gave you a pearl and I’ve thought about the song you would sing if you accepted it.)_

It’s impossible to not smile and Castiel drifts forward to catch Dean’s hand in his own. _(You wouldn’t expect me to find a pearl in return?)_

 _(That’s not how your customs go.)_ He shrugs and drifts close enough that their foreheads touch. _(If I proposed to you, I’d want you to answer in your own way.)_

_(Assuming I would give you a positive answer, of course.)_

The moment he says that, Castiel can feel Dean start to withdraw, both physically and in the kin-connection. To keep him where he is, he winds his arms around Dean’s waist and presses a kiss to his lips. _(It’s very sweet that you’ve thought about this.)_

A disappointed edge curls around Dean’s thoughts, but he still circles Castiel with his arms and leans into him. _(You haven’t?)_

 _(I haven’t thought that far ahead.)_ And considering how long they’ve been together, maybe he should start doing that. But first, he needs to deal with the disappointment in Dean’s eyes. Castiel hates seeing it there and he kisses him again. _(I enjoy my time with you more than I can say and I am not even remotely averse to being mated to you.)_

The frown eases and a smile starts creeping across Dean’s lips. Castiel kisses it again, just because he can. _(If you asked me right now, I would be a solid **ask me later**.)_

 _(Really?)_ Hope spirals through the kin-connection, burning away any trace of Dean’s disappointment.

 _(Really.)_ He nods and squeezes Dean in his arms. _(I like the idea of being mated to you, but now I’m going to be suspicious every time you say that you’re going out hunting with a group of fang-fin.)_

With a snort of laughter, Dean surges forward and rolls them a few times. He dips his head to nuzzle his face against Castiel’s shoulder. _(Well, you could always sing the song to me before that.)_

 _(I’ll think about it.)_ One thing at a time. There’s still one other matter in their relationship they should discuss before any proposals happen.

Dean presses kisses to his gills and up along his jaw, delight flaring brightly in their link. The delight is cut short as he goes rigid and draws away with a huff. _(Sam’s calling for me now. It’s **really** urgent.)_

Castiel hums and pulls him back for another kiss. _(He can wait for a bit.)_ He was really enjoying the jaw kisses and he would like to have those back.

_(Make him wait like we’re going to wait?)_

Apparently he’s not going to get his kisses again and Castiel draws away with a sigh. Dean’s thoughts are more teasing than they are hopeful and he gets a wry look in return. _(The time isn’t right for that right now. We’ll both know when we should do it.)_

Dean nods and he pulls Castiel back in for a tight hug. _(Are you going to start thinking about it now?)_

_(I will.)_

It’s a bit surprising that it hadn’t already occurred to him to start thinking about where their relationship was heading. In all honesty, Castiel has been taking things one at a time. Even after almost four seasons together, there are still aspects about their relationship that he still feels so _new_ to. Things as they are now are, for the most part, very comfortable and Castiel doesn’t want any of that to change any time soon. Besides, he doubts that either of their colonies are prepared for a bright-fin and a fang-fin to be mated together – _especially_ if they were to become bond-mates.

On top of that, the sexual aspect of their relationship has been severely lacking. Dean hasn’t made mention of it or even pushed for it, and that surprises him quite a bit. He’s such a physical fin-kin that Castiel can hardly believe that Dean hasn’t wanted more than just their kisses and cuddles. Sure, they do a _lot_ of kissing in their alone time, but that’s all they ever do. Granted, that’s mostly because of Castiel’s own cowardice. He’s still struggling to muster up the courage to do anything more. Sex is – the thought of it just makes him _very_ nervous.

Nervous enough to put off thinking about that yet again. Castiel discards the thought entirely as he follows after Dean to where Sam is waiting for him. It’s at the far end of the trench, well beyond where anyone in either of their colonies would go on a daily basis. Castiel is surprised to find Sam nervously swimming circles around a coral outcropping and he reaches through the kin-connection to find his mind and press a soothing greeting against it. A link between them opens immediately and he’s met with a grateful welcome.

A link between all three of their minds forms once Castiel has one with Sam and Dean forces a jovial wave through it. _(What’s up, Sammy? Did’ja miss me?)_

Instead of answering, Sam stops swimming and hold out his hand to reveal the pearl resting on his palm. _(Do you think this is good enough?)_

Castiel has always thought that Sam has big hands. They’re bigger than his own, certainly. Of course, in his hands the pearl is dwarfed in comparison. Gingerly, Castiel reaches out to take him from it. Sam doesn’t stop him, but he does watch intently while he rolls it around in his palm. In his hand, Castiel can confirm that this is one of the biggest pearls that he has ever seen. The light of his glow tints it blue, but it twinkles in the light. Looking at it, he can understand why the fang-fin like them enough to use them as a means of proposal.

 _(It’s beautiful, Sam.)_ Castiel carefully returns it to his hands and graces him with a smile. _(I’m positive that Jess is going to love it.)_

Sam’s shoulders relax slightly. He relaxes further when he turns hopeful eyes to Dean and gets an approving nod in return. _(Thanks, guys.)_

 _(How far did you guys have to go to find that, huh?)_ Dean drifts over to wrap an arm around Sam’s shoulders and give them a squeeze. _(It feels like you’ve been gone forever.)_

 _(Pretty damn far. Some of the others didn’t manage to find a pearl this time. I lucked out.)_ He cradles the pearl to his chest and looks down at it fondly. _(You really think she’s going to like it?)_

Laughing, Dean gives him a shove. _(What matters is that she likes **you**. You could give her a regular rock shaped like a pearl and she’d still accept because it’s you, Sammy. Jess is crazy about you.)_

That brings a bright smile to Sam’s lips and he looks between the both of them happily. Dean’s approval of his token must mean the world to him, because that’s enough to give Sam the courage to head out and find Jess. Castiel and Dean tag along with him, neither of them wanting to miss the proposal.

They find Jess sitting in a large naturally formed cave off the fang-fin’s side of the trench. She’s sitting with a few of their friends on a truly massive collection of kelp. All of them are being instructed on some new special weave that Bobby apparently invented himself to make a sturdier bag than normal. It intrigues Castiel enough that he abandons both Sam and Dean to swim over and sit next to Jess to see it for himself. She doesn’t seem to have noticed that Sam and Dean are still floating at the opening of the cave. Jess is so focused on the weaving that her only acknowledgement of Castiel is a quick smile when he sits next to her and joins the kin-connection link between everyone present.

 _(C’mon, Sam. Do it.)_ Dean nudges Sam further into the cave. _(Don’t be such a hatchling. You know she’s waiting for this.)_

Sam takes a deep breath, so loud that even Castiel can hear it. _(Okay. I’m ready.)_ And with that, he reaches through the kin-connection and touches Jess’s mind.

Castiel knows the moment that she feels his touch. A slow smile spreads across her lips and she passes him what remains of her weaving. _(Finish this for me, will you?)_ There’s a knowing look in her eye and Castiel can only smile and nod.

Everyone stops what they’re doing to watch Jess swim over and give Sam a hello kiss. They hug for an unreasonably long time, long enough for Dean to swim over and sit next to Castiel instead. When they pull apart, Sam looks beyond flustered and he keeps his head down. If they’re talking, they’re doing it in a private link. Either way, Castiel and Dean lean their heads together and continue watching, waiting for the moment when Sam will show Jess the pearl.

Bobby clears his throat and attempts to get everyone gathered to start focusing on their weaving again, but no one pays attention. Their focus is entirely on Sam and Jess. They’re all waiting and they all cheer in the kin-connection when Sam holds out the hand with the pearl. Jess takes his hand between both of hers and presses kisses to his knuckles. Her joy is a bright, burning light in everyone’s minds and Castiel knows, without a doubt, that she would be singing if she could be. Jess wraps her arms around Sam’s shoulders and pulls him in for a long kiss. Her tail gets all wiggly in delight, buoying them both in place.

At his side, Dean makes a soft choking noise. Castiel turns to check on him and finds Dean to be on the verge of tears. His grin is wider than it’s ever been and he looks happier than Castiel has ever seen him be. It’s nice and it makes his own smile grow. Dean must notice him looking, because he elbows Castiel in the side and looks away.

_(It’s nothing. Just got some sand in my eye.)_

_(Of course.)_ Castiel nods sagely and puts an arm around Dean’s shoulders to draw him back in. _(The sand around here is notorious for causing intense emotional reactions.)_

That earns him a laugh and Dean leans into Cas’s side again. They share a kiss as Jess returns to the group to show everyone her pearl. This is a happy moment for Dean’s family and Castiel is delighted that he gets to be here to share in it. He’s only grown closer with this group since the end of the war, and even though he has a family of his own, it’s wonderful to feel like he’s a part of this one too.

*

When night comes and it’s just the two of them alone in the hollow, Dean’s full affections are released. He’s always been touchy and cuddly when they settle down for the evening, but this is well beyond how he usually is. Tonight, Dean pins Castiel to the floor of the hollow and kisses him silly. There’s so much joy and excitement filling the kin-connection that laughter bubbles up between their kisses. Castiel has never seen him so happy and he can’t help but answer that happiness with curiosity.

Dean laughs and presses a kiss to Castiel’s cheek. _(I’m happy because in less than two season I’m going to be an uncle and it’s going to be **awesome**.) _ He pushes himself up to grin down at him happily. _(Hatchlings are cute as hell and I’m going to be the best uncle **ever**.)_

Oh. That’s certainly a happy thought, but it brings Castiel nothing but sadness. A fraction of that slips into the kin-connection before he catches it. He doesn’t want to dampen Dean’s happiness, but that was enough for him to notice.

Dean frowns and touches his cheek. _(What’s wrong?)_

_(Nothing. I’m happy for you, and for Sam and Jess.)_

And he really _is_ , but there’s this _feeling_ sitting heavy in his chest and it’s keeping him from experiencing it properly. It doesn’t take him too long to figure out why that is, and it makes him even more unhappier to know it.

 _(You’re lying.)_ Dean sits up fully and looks down at him, eyes narrowed. _(What’s wrong, Cas?)_

This is the worst thing to find upsetting and he turns his head so he doesn’t have to look at Dean while he speaks. _(You like hatchlings.)_

Surprise flashes through the kin-connection, mixed with a little bit of horror. _(You don’t?)_

Castiel shakes his head and reaches for Dean’s hand. _(That’s not what I meant. I like them too.)_

 _(Then what’s the deal?)_ Confusion fills their link as he allows Castiel to take his hand and turn it over in his, tracing his fingers and the webbing between them.

This topic feels almost as hard to bring up as the sexual one. It’s best that he just dives right into it. _(Do you want kids of your own?)_

Realization fills the kin-connection quickly. _(Oh. I see where this is going.)_

With a nod, Castiel moves Dean’s hand to his belly and holds it there. _(I can’t bear any eggs for you. If you stay with me, I won’t be able to give you any hatchlings.)_

Amusement tickles along the channels of their link. Dean even laughs as he takes Castiel’s hand and brings it to his own belly. _(And what about me? You think that **I** can give you hatchlings? We’re in the same situation here, Cas, and that’s alright. Isn’t it?)_

Castiel flexes his fingers to feel the shift in Dean’s muscles. Their situations may be similar because they’re both males, but it’s not the same. _(I was already resigned to never having children of my own long before you ever came along. But you have always planned to have them, haven’t you?)_

Dean’s nose wrinkles, but he still smiles. _(I’m pretty sure that I told you once upon a time that same sex couples **adopt** or find a surrogate mother or father if they **really** want hatchlings of their own.)_

Oh, that’s right. He did tell him that, didn’t he? Mother-sea, but that feels so long ago. Castiel closes his eyes and pulls Dean down against him. He wraps his arms around him and presses his face into his shoulder. That tense feeling filling his body releases slightly, but there’s still unease settled high in his chest. There are unspoken things about their relationship that he can’t avoid. He should get everything out now while they’re having this open moment between them.

_(You have always wanted your own nest, haven’t you?)_

_(Yeah, I’ve thought about it.)_ Dean turns his head to press a kiss to Castiel’s cheek. _(But not any time soon. I’m not even considering it for this coming breeding season.)_

Castiel takes a sharp breath and tries to conceal his surprise in the kin-connection. If Dean _does_ consider having children of his own in the next breeding season, doesn’t that mean he’ll need to have sex with a female? _His_ Dean will have to touch someone else. He’ll be kissing and holding someone else and no. No, he can’t let that happen. But how else would Dean ever get children of his own? His grip on Dean tightens considerably and Castiel does his best to will away the jealous thoughts.

A hand pushes into his hair and Dean combs his fingertips through it. _(I’m keeping my hopes up for someone willing to have a nest for us.)_ His words have a lighter edge to them, musing and thoughtful. _(Maybe you can talk one of your brothers or your sister into giving up a breeding season for us? How great would that be! They get to have a mate for the season and have a ton of sex, but don’t have to do any of the work afterwards. Then the kids would still be related to at least one of us.)_

Hold on. Wait a minute.

He leans away to look Dean in the eye. _(Excuse me?)_ What is this kind of planning? Castiel hasn’t heard of any of it before. _( **Us**?)_

Dean gives him a wide smile, bright and devious and just so very _him_. With a laugh, he leans in to kiss the tip of Castiel’s nose. _(Of course **us**. I wouldn’t have kids without you wanting them too. If I’m going to be having hatchlings, I’m going to want you to parent them with me.) _ His next kiss lands on Castiel’s lips. _(We’re a team, Cas. I haven’t **just** been thinking about giving you a pearl, y’know. I’ve been thinking about having a whole future with you, including the fact that **we** probably won’t be ready for a nest of our own by the breeding season so I’m happy to wait until the one after that.)_

This is insane. This is wonderful and insane and happiness is just spiralling through him to the point that he feels like his skin might rupture so it can escape. Castiel rolls them so Dean is sitting up and he curls against his chest, snuggling against it and hiding his face from that teasing, happy smile. The adipose fins lining his tail ripple with his delight, giving away just how much this pleases him to hear.

Laughter rings in their little hollow and Dean wraps Castiel in his arms. _(Like that, do you?)_

Castiel nods and hugs Dean back just as tightly. _(You’ve really thought about this a lot more than I have.)_

A hum rumbles under his cheek. _(Well, what have you been thinking of, then?)_

That’s a good question. In all honesty, he hasn’t been giving much thought to much regarding their relationship. He’s been taking it one thing at a time, more or less. And the one thing that he _has_ been thinking about is the one thing that he has the hardest time bringing up. It’s a topic that he’s never even properly discussed with his family, let alone with a lover. Dean would be the first that Castiel has ever talked to about this and it’s just so _new_ to him.

But this is his opportunity to finally say something and he really shouldn’t let it pass him by. _(Do you really want to know what I’ve been thinking about concerning our relationship?)_

 _(Uh – **yeah**.) _ Dean nods enthusiastically and his chin taps the top of Castiel’s head a few times. _(we’re going to have a future together some day and I’d kinda like your opinion on it.)_ When Castiel doesn’t immediately have any answer for him, Dean gives him a good squeeze. _(Out with it before I try to **really** get it out of you.)_

Fine. _Fine_. Castiel can do this. He can _do it_. Oh Mother-sea, no he can’t. He pushes Dean away and rolls away  to roll onto his side. Dean laughs and presses up against Castiel’s back almost immediately. Right away, he starts nipping at the back of his neck. They’re nothing but quick, painless little bites, but each one of them sends shivers down the back of his neck.

 _(C’mon, Cas. Tell me what you’ve been thinking about us.)_ His hands slide over Castiel’s stomach, spreading wide and pulling him closer.

Oh, but he wishes he could. It’s just so _embarrassing_ – to some degree. This is a topic that he’s tried most of his life not to think about. And now that he has Dean, Castiel finds that thinking about doing anything intimate with him brings a blush to his cheeks and sends heat stirring in his stomach. It makes him feel like he’s glowing on the inside, and it’s entirely focused in his lower belly. This feeling only happens when he starts to think of a Dean in a sexual manner that goes beyond kissing – and he’s not even completely sure what two males could even do together.

As Dean mouths and nips at the back of his neck, Castiel cover his face and tries to get his courage in check. Dean isn’t helping at all with what he’s doing, and the breaking point is when Dean starts nosing at his hair and wiggling in closer, a purr rumbling in his chest.

When the restraint in his snaps, Castiel pulls away sharply and sits up. Dean does too and pulses concern at him through the kin-connection. Those thoughts turn curious as Castiel turns to drag himself into his lap. As soon as he’s settle, he pushes Dean down onto his side again. He arranges himself quickly to cover Dean as effectively as he can to keep him from being able to get up. It won’t be very effective, but it’s the best that he can do right now.

Dean turns his head to give him an amused side-eye. _(What are you up to, Cas?)_

At this point, he doesn’t even know. Castiel simply dips his head to run his mouth along the length of the hard side-fin on the side of Dean’s head. He mouths at it slowly, exploring the rigid fin with his lips and tongue. The moment he starts doing that, Dean goes still under him. Even his gills stop fluttering, though only for a few heartbeats. He takes a deep, shuddering breath and slides an arm around Castiel’s waist. The longer Dean lets him work at his side-fin, the tighter his hold gets.

Castiel takes his time with working along it. Eventually, he follows it down to Dean’s cheek, then along his jaw, and finally to his lips. The kiss he plants there is long and slow and contains every little trick that Castiel has learned how to do over their seasons together. When he’s satisfied with the kiss, he pushes himself up on his hand to catch his breath. The heat is curling fast and hot in his belly all from something as simple as a _kiss_

_( **That** is what I’ve been thinking about.)_

Dean twists and rolls to put Castiel under him, taking his time to pin him. _(You’ve been thinking some sexy thoughts without me, Cas? That’s so **mean** of you.)_

He’s trying to tease him, and it’s working. Castiel is finding it _very_ difficult to look Dean in the eye right now. _(Yes, I’ve been thinking about this. It’s –)_ He takes a deep breath for some calm. _(I’ve suppressed feelings like this for most of my life. It’s just – it’s **difficult** to let myself start thinking about it. I keep having to tell myself that thinking things like this – about **you** – is okay.)_

Understanding flickers through the kin-connection and Dean presses a kiss to Castiel’s temple. _(You’re still struggling with that whole male on male thing, huh?)_

 _(A little.)_ No matter how many seasons pass, there’s a lifetime of beliefs that needs to be undone and that’s going to take time. _(And – and it’s not the only thing I’m having trouble with.)_

Another kiss falls on the base of his side-fan. _(Tell me. If it’s something I can help with, I want to know.)_

Castiel squirms slightly. Although he’s comfortable with these kind of touches, and he takes comfort in the feel of Dean’s weight on top of him, there’s a type of touching that he’s almost terrified of. It takes him a little while to find the right words to share with him.

_(I struggle with the idea of letting someone else touch me sexually, or having to touch someone else sexually, or to show them my erection or see theirs, or –)_

_(Hey now. Hold on.)_ Dean catches Castiel’s chin with his fingers and forces him to turn his head and look at him. _(There is no other **they** , Cas. It’s just you and me.)_ He kisses the tip of his nose and fills the kin-connection with his calm. _(You want to know a secret?)_

Yes, of course. He’ll listen to anything if it will make it easier to go any further with him. Dean smiles and ducks his head to rest their foreheads together. _(I always thought have a physical relationship was really important to me. It’s been hard as hell to keep myself from touching you like that, and to wait for when you’d let me know that you’re ready. But, it’s also easier than I thought it would be to ignore that. You’re more important to me than sex and if that’s not something you ever want to have, well, I’m pretty confident that I’d be okay with that.)_

Dear Mother-sea, Castiel didn’t think it was possible for him to love Dean more. And every bit of that fills the kin-connection because he deserves to know just how much Castiel appreciates this. It might not be entirely necessary, maybe, depending on how the rest of this conversation goes, but it is _so_ good to be told something like that.

 _(I don’t want you to dive into anything you’re not ready for.)_ Dean kisses him softly; just one little, lingering thing. _(We can take it slow. I’ll wait however long you need.)_

Castiel smiles and tilts his chin up to chase the kiss when Dean tries pulling away. _(I suppose we **have** been taking it slow.)_

 _(No one knows that better than me.)_ Dean laughs and kisses him again.

 _(How badly do you wish that we were doing sexual things?)_ He brings his hands up to rest them on Dean’s side, holding them gently .

Dean huffs a laugh into their kiss. _(A lot. Like, pretty much all the fucking time.)_

Castiel pulls back from the kiss slightly to blink at him in surprise. _(Really?)_ He had expected something more like _sometimes_. But all the time? Isn’t that a bit excessive? Well, no. Balthazar has a fairly one stream mind when it comes to that too.

_(Yup.)_

_(You think about having sex with me **all the time**?)_

He shrugs and dips his head to brush their noses together. _(At least a couple times a day.)_

This is almost too much for Castiel to take. He squirms slightly and twists his tail to curl around Dean’s. Normally Castiel wouldn’t have _this_ much trouble with a conversation like this. The problem with it is that the kin-connection just keeps growing warmer with the emotions that Dean is slowly filling their link with. It doesn’t help that they’re lying together chest to chest and belly to belly.

He flexes his fingers and looks away. Castiel looks away, but glances back from the corner of his eye. There’s heat in Dean’s eyes and it’s entrancing to see. This is a dangerous question he’s about to ask, but he can’t keep it to himself. His curiosity is too great for that.

 _(What have you – what have you been thinking about **exactly**?) _ It can’t hurt just to _hear_ about it, right?

Dean licks his lips and the corners of his mouth twitch, like he’s trying to resist smiling. He’s definitely happy in the kin-connection, but he’s trying his best to restrain. _(You sure you wanna know, Cas?)_

Even if he just hears it, they won’t need to act on those thoughts right now. Castiel can just _learn_ about what kind of things Dean might be interested in doing with him. Yes, that can’t be a bad thing. He’s just getting an idea. Castiel swallows around the lump in his throat and nods.

 _(Sharing this with you is probably going to work me up.)_ He dips his head to look Castiel right in the eye. _(You know that, right?)_ When Castiel nods again, Dean sighs. _(You understand that this means I might pop a boner. Are you going to be okay with that?)_

Castiel swallows again and squeezes his eyes shut. Okay, he hadn’t exactly expected _that_. But – but he can handle it. There’s nothing weird about this. He’s seen plenty of fin-kin with their erections out – both when he was younger and older. It happens sometimes in the middle of doing something else and he’s seen fin-kin have to go off and deal with it. And it’s hard to hide something like that when you’re swimming. There’s nothing wrong with having an erection and Castiel has never had a problem with seeing that. Especially since he shared a shelf with his siblings all while they were going through puberty. It’s just – it’s so _different_ where Dean is concerned.

With a sigh, Dean leans down and presses a kiss to Castiel’s chest. It’s a bit of surprise and he takes a deep breath. But then Dean sits up again to kiss and nibble along his jaw. He nuzzles the base of Castiel’s side-fan as all form of images start to flood the kin-connection. The clarity in them is unexpected and Castiel physically jerks in surprise at them.

The first image isn’t much different than what Dean just did, until the images flow into fantasies. They move through the kin-connection fluidly, showing how Dean wants to press kisses across his chest and mouth at his nipples. Is that supposed to feel good? Castiel has no experience to draw from, but the way his tail slaps the ground and his adipose fins ripple in Dean’s fantasies makes him think that it’s supposed to feel good.

Or, fantasy-Castiel could be reacting like that because fantasy-Dean has a hand on his sheath. His thumb is pressing against the opening of fantasy-Castiel’s sheath, rubbing gently. Castiel can feel heat start squirming even more in his lower belly as fantasy-Dean starts kissing over the same place. He’s sucking red marks all across fantasy-Castiel’s stomach, working his way lower and lower until he’s at the head of the sheath. Slowly, but surely, fantasy-Dean encourages fantasy-Castiel’s erection out of his sheath with licking and tongue the opening to the sheath. Aside from the shape and general size, it’s nothing like what Castiel’s erection really looks like.

In reality, Castiel’s mouth drops open and every breath is deep and ragged. It feels like his blood is starting to boil in his veins as fantasy-Dean actually take fantasy-Castiel’s erection _in his mouth_. He didn’t even think that was a thing that anyone would do. Is that supposed to feel good? Fantasy-Castiel certainly seems to think so. His back arches and he’s grabbing at fantasy-Dean’s hair, sinking his fingers into it. He seems to be enjoying it so much and Castiel can’t help but moan softly because _he_ wants Dean to make him feel that good too.

Dean smiles against Castiel’s cheek as the images shift. Now fantasy-Castiel has his hands on fantasy-Dean’s erection, circling it and rubbing softly. These images only last for a moment before slipping into another. In the new ones, fantasy-Castiel is bent over fantasy-Dean’s lap and he’s enthusiastically sucking at his erection. The best part is fantasy-Dean’s reaction to it; the way he bites his lip and leans back on his tail to watch what’s happening; or how he runs his hands through fantasy-Castiel’s hair, encouraging him to bob his head faster.

Castiel swallows thickly and struggles to take each breath. He feels too hot in his skin. It feels like he dove too deep in the trench and the heat of the vent is surrounding him. His body won’t hold still and he squirms under Dean, trying to make these burning feelings go away. Of course that’s impossible because Dean isn’t done sharing all of the things he’s imagined.

The next series of images aren’t very different. In the first, fantasy-Castiel and fantasy-Dean are kissing passionately while they rub their erections together between them. In another set, they’re just rubbing against each other’s tails separately while kissing. Regardless of which image it is, all Castiel gets from them is that both their fantasy selves are obviously feeling good and he wants so badly to be able to give Dean that kind of pleasure.

With a hum, Dean nuzzles the curve of his throat and rubs his hands over the glow spots on Castiel’s sides. _(See, Cas? It’s really not so bad.)_ He presses a kiss to the underside of his jaw. _(I just wanna make you feel good.)_

A soft moan breaks Castiel’s lips as he arches into Dean’s touch. They’re doing almost nothing right now and he already feels good. It’s hard to believe that he could possibly feel _better_ than this.

 _(It gets **so** much better, Cas.)_ Dean lifts his head to press a gentle kiss to his lips. _(Do you want me to show you how?)_ There’s hope and desire lining every single one of his thoughts.

Castiel squirms again as the heat curls thick in his cut. No matter what he tries, he can’t stop seeing the images that Dean shared. It’s like they’re on repeat in his head, despite how Dean has stopped sharing them . Can he do this? Can he let go of all of his inhibitions and at least _try_? Will they stop if he gets too uncomfortable and isn’t able to carry through with this? How far will they go?

Dean brings a hand to rest against Castiel’s cheek, his thumb brushing the skin gently. _(Just tell me what you want to do.)_

 _(I don’t know.)_ He really doesn’t. This is just so overwhelming and not at all where he thought their conversation would actually lead.

 _(Okay, let’s try a better question.)_ Dean laughs and rests their foreheads together. _(Let’s try this one; what do you **not** want me to do?)_

The answer is still the same. _(I don’t know.)_ This is all so new to him and he can’t decide. He’s torn right down the middle like the giant flat fish from earlier today. Part of him wants to feel firsthand what kind of pleasures Dean could give him, and the other part of him is utterly terrified that his body won’t respond like it does in Dean’s fantasies.

Okay, okay. He just needs some time to breathe. _(You were wrong.)_

Dean lifts his head and raises an eyebrow at him. _(About what?)_

Castiel bites his lip and takes a deep breath through his nose. He releases it through his gills at the same time that he returns the image of what Dean thought his penis looked like. As soon as he points that out, Dean sits back on his tail and looks down at Castiel’s sheath.

He stares at it for a few moments. _(Do you seriously look different from me?)_ Dean tilts his head and frowns. _(You don’t have, like, a tentacle or some shit like that in there, do you? I didn’t think for a second that a bright-fin would look different from me.)_

 _(No, no!)_ Castiel huffs a laugh and shakes his head. _(It looks like yours, just a little different.)_

Relief filters into the kin-connection as Dean sighs. _(Okay, okay good.)_ He reaches down to run his hand over Castiel’s stomach. _(You know how I said that we should do this slowly? The slowest we can go besides doing nothing to just show each other what we’ve got. We don’t have to do any touching. How does that sound?)_

Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad. Castiel just needs to remind himself that Dean won’t be different from anything he’s seen before. He’s just another fin-kin. That’s all he is and Castiel shouldn’t assign him any special significance just because they happen to be lovers. Of course Dean is different than anyone else for that reason alone, but it shouldn’t stop them from enjoying each other’s bodies, right? Right.

The moment he nods and gives his permission to at least _try_ , Dean swoops down to kiss him again. This kiss presses him hard into the floor of the hollow. It carries the passion from his fantasies as Dean licks his way in to his mouth and kisses the breath from him. This kiss is much more _erotic_ than anything they’ve ever done before, and not just because Dean starts rocking his body against him. He’s rubbing their sheaths together and it’s all Castiel can do to clutch at his shoulders and return the kiss.

His gills flutter wildly as he struggles with every breath. It’s so difficult when Dean insists on filling the kin-connection with every single one of his fantasies again. They stream through Castiel’s mind and he can’t stop himself from moaning softly into the kiss. The fantasises passing behind his eyes are just so arousing. No, it’s _Dean_ that Castiel finds arousing. His lust that he floods the kin-connection with feeds into the heat pooling within Castiel’s body. He’s drowning in Dean’s feelings – feelings that he never thought he’d ever get to experience in the kin-connection before.

It feels downright _amazing_.

Despite that, Castiel is just a little bit confused. He thought they were going to _show_ each other their erections. Why is Dean kissing him instead? When he puts that curiosity into the kin-connection, Dean breaks their kisses with a laugh. He sits back on the bend of his tail again, and draws all attention down to his lap. To Castiel’s surprise, the head of Dean’s erection is already starting to slide out of his sheath. He watches as if entranced while Dean drags the heel of his palm up the length of his sheath, taking every other stroke to thumb at the head of his erection.

Dean watches Castiel the entire time he touches himself. His eyes are hooded and his gaze is burning. _(Sorry, Cas. I needed those sexy kisses to get like this.)_

Castiel doesn’t know where he’s allowed to watch, but he can’t look away. He stares in wonder as Dean’s erection slides free rather quickly. It looks just like it did in the fantasies; thick in the base and tapered to the head, curving slightly. It even has the same kind of bumps and ridges that a bright-fin’s does. Seeing it in person and within reach stirs something in Castiel’s gut that he’s never experienced at seeing someone’s erection before.

Grinning, Dean wraps his hand around his erection and starts to stroke it slowly. _(Do you like what you see, Cas?)_

Does he? There’s a strong possibility that he does. Castiel is utterly fascinated with the way Dean touches himself. He was right to think that just like fang-fin don’t have a glow on their skin and scales, they don’t have it on their penis either. Other than that, it’s basically exactly the same as a bright-fin’s. Actually, if Castiel remembers correctly, Dean might actually be a little longer than his. It’s hard to confirm, if only because he hasn’t seen his own erection since the last mating season.

Without taking his hand away, Dean leans down to kiss him quickly. _(I can’t wait to see you too. How are you feeling?)_

He pushes up into the kiss, squirming slightly. _(Aroused.)_ Because that is what he is _undoubtedly_. This is a less demanding feeling than when he’s aroused by the breeding season, but it is absolutely arousal.

Delight fills the kin-connection and it’s wrapped in Dean’s excitement. _(Don’t hold back. Show me what you’ve got, Cas.)_

His desire is so strong in their link and it only fuels Castiel’s feelings. He can feel the muscles of his sheath starting to tighten as Dean encourages him with his feelings in the kin-connection. But panic flutters in his chest the moment he feels his erection start to slide out. The panic is the reason Castiel pushes Dean away and he scrambles back against the wall of the hollow. He folds his tail to his chest and wraps his arms around it to hold it in place and hide his lap.

If he let Dean see it, this would be the first time someone has seen his erection in _ages_. The last people who ever saw it were his siblings during their first breeding season and Castiel hadn’t excused himself quick enough before one had developed.

Disappointment flickers through their link and Dean sits back on his tail. _(You okay, Cas?)_

He shakes his head and hides his face against his tail. _(This is embarrassing.)_ And that’s honestly just downright ridiculous. Castiel has _never_ felt embarrassed to see someone else’s erection. But he’s never had anyone see his in this kind of situation and it’s freaking him out just a little bit. Especially because there’s no one in his colony who would look at him and his erection as keenly as Dean is now.

Dean fills the kin-connection with understanding and Castiel can feel him slide closer. _(It’s just you and me, Cas.)_ He’s close enough to press a kiss to his tail. _(There’s no one but me to look at you.)_

 _(I **know**.) _ And that’s the problem. _(You’re **staring** at me.)_

A quiet lap puffs across his scales. _(It’s okay. If you don’t want to show me, you don’t have to.)_

The problem with that is Castiel _does_ want to show him. He wants to do this, but it’s just so new and more than a little bit scary to him. He just has a _lifetime_ of issues that he needs to get over to move things along with Dean. But it’s been ­ _four seasons_ and he should be over these feelings by now, shouldn’t he? Because he _wants_ to do things like this with Dean. It’s just – this is just so _difficult_.

Dean presses another kiss to Castiel’s tail. _(Take your time, Cas. I’m not going to rush you.)_ He runs a comforting hand over his tail while pressing soothing thoughts into the kin-connection. _(Do you want me to leave so I can go take care of myself? When I come back, we can just go to sleep.)_

Castiel shakes his head and peeks over the edge of his tail. _(You’re not the only one who needs to take care of himself.)_

Surprise ricochets through the kin-connection and Dean sits back sharply. _(Wait. Does that mean that you’re actually –?)_

He nods slowly and gives his tail a squeeze. Okay. He can do this. He just needs to uncurl a little bit and then Dean can see and that’s all he needs to do. Anything that happens after that is just – well, it’s just going to happen and he’s going to have to deal with it when it happens.

With a deep breath, Castiel slowly uncurls and stretches out his tail before him. He bites his lip and forces himself not to look away from Dean. They stare at each other for a long time before Dean finally glances down.

 _(Oh!)_ Dean makes a soft sound of surprise before he breaks into a toothy grin and looks back up at him. _(I should have known that a bright-fin would glow there too.)_ He leans in to kiss Castiel gently and pulls away just as quickly, putting half the hollow between them. _(Now all you need to do is watch me, okay?)_

Thank Mother-sea for the blessing that is Dean. He knows just what to say and do to make Castiel feel so much better. He nods and watches with rapt attention as Dean sits back to start touching himself. Everything that Dean does now needs to be committed to memory. That way, when Castiel is over all of his issues, he can put that knowledge to good use and make Dean feel good just like how he’s always wanted to make him feel.

He memorizes the way Dean sweeps one of his hands over his belly as the other works over his erection. Castiel watches where Dean puts pressure with his fingers and how he pinches at his nipples or runs his thumb over the head of his erection. His side-fans flare out and stay spread to catch every soft grunt and quiet moan made. Dean’s mouth is open and he’s sucking in every breath, making little whimpers that send a spiral of dizziness lance through Castiel.

It’s like Castiel just took a nose-dive into the trench. His skin and scales are burning in the boiling water inside their hollow. He’s having trouble breathing and gives a whimper of his own. Dean just looks _so good_ as he is. Making that one little noise sends a spike of Dean’s lust into the kin-connection. Clearly he wants to do nothing more right now than to press up against Castiel and rut against him until he orgasms. And part of Castiel _really_ wants him to do that.

The urge to touch himself grows too strong and one of his hands slides to his lap. Dean watches attentively as Castiel carefully starts touching the head of his erection, trying to urge it fully out of his sheath. They maintain eye contact for the entire time, with only occasional glances down at each other’s laps. The desire in the kin-connection grow exponentially once Castiel’s erection is fully released. Dean’s desire feeds directly into him and all Castiel wants now is his kisses. They were so arousing and felt so good. How would they affect him while he’s touching himself?

In a rare moment of bravery, Castiel shares that curiosity. Dean moves immediately, sliding forward so he can sit over Castiel’s tail. He leaves enough space between them that there’s no chance for their erections to touch when he leans forward to kiss him. Castiel brings a hand to the back of Dean’s head, sinking his fingers into his hair to keep him in place as he kisses back.

There are so many possibilities for where tonight could take them and Dean fills the kin-connection with every single one of them. He shows Castiel exactly what it would be like if he was allowed to move forward just a little bit so they could rub their erections together. Or, if Castiel stretched out on the floor of the hollow, they could do the same but with the added benefit of Dean being on top of him. Castiel groans into the kiss and clings to those possibilities. Maybe they can do that for next time, but right now this is good. This is perfect and he doesn’t want it any other way.

 _(Mother-sea, Cas, this would be so much better if I could **touch you**.)_ The desire Dean has for that floods the kin-connection. He makes it look _so_ good and Castiel’s will is quickly crumbling to it.

If touching himself feels this good, and kissing Dean feels things amazing, would having Dean’s hands on him really be that much better? What if he was the one to touch Dean too? Oh, the idea of that is rather appealing, actually. The orgasm building in his belly and making every inch of his skin tingle is also making his head feel rather hazy. They’re reaching the point where Castiel wants nothing more than to orgasm, and he desperately wants Dean to help him to be the one to help him do it.

That makes up his mind for him. If he thinks any more about this, he’s going to get scared again. Castiel fumbles between them to find Dean’s hand and bring it to his lap. That small gesture has Dean moaning happily into the kiss. He matches the moan when Dean’s fingers close around his erection. Having someone else’s hand on him feels better than he thought possible. It’s like a jolt to his body and his whole body twitches violently at the touch.

Dean’s other hand comes to rest against Castiel’s chest and he spreads his fingers wide. _(Can I try something else too, Cas?)_

What else can he possibly do right now? Fully formed thoughts are little beyond him and Castiel can only feed confusion into the kin-connection.

_(Do you know if your nipples are sensitive?)_

No, he has no clue. That’s not something he’s ever experimented with – not that he’s really experimented with anything pretty much ever. He puts that feeling into the kin-connection too and he can feel Dean’s smile against his lips.

_(I’ll take that as a no. Can I test it?)_

What could that hurt? They’re just his nipples. Castiel nods and Dean immediately sweeps his hand to the side. His thumb brushes over one of Castiel’s nipples a few times, but he feels almost nothing from it. Even when Dean pinches lightly, only a little tingle of pleasure that drops into his stomach.

 _(How does that feel?)_ Dean pushes curiosity into the kin-connection, caressing the edges of Castiel’s mind with it. He really does want nothing more than to make him feel good.

Castiel can only shrug and focus on kissing Dean. He really doesn’t feel much of anything from it. A flash of frustration bursts across the kin-connection before Dean breaks their kiss. For a moment, Castiel can’t figure out why he would do something like that, but then Dean drops down to put his mouth over his nipple. Is that going to really make things feel bet– Oh! There’s a gentle scrape of teeth before Dean gives it a hard suck. The tingle becomes a sharp pulse of pleasure and Castiel gasps loudly, arching his back to push into his mouth.

Dean hums happily and his delight fills the kin-connection. He keeps up with his ministrations as he guides Castiel’s hand to his own erection. How could he have possibly forgotten to do that? Dean deserves just as much pleasure as he’s giving Castiel right now. It’s unfortunate that he barely has experience touching himself, but he throws his all into it, trying his best to give Dean pleasure. Happily, Dean doesn’t seem to mind.

Actually, Dean seems thoroughly focused on licking, sucking, and biting his way back and forth across Castiel’s chest. He even detours to spend some time at Castiel’s collarbone, sucking hard enough that he’s going to definitely be leaving marks there. All of it feels so good and culminates to an orgasm in no time at all.

Unsurprisingly, Castiel is the first to come between them. The water in the hollow fills with the scent of his release and he has to stop stroking Dean while he shudders through his orgasm. Every nerve in his body is tingling violently and his gills ripple wildly trying to catch his breath. Dean doesn’t help with that at all by sitting up to kiss Castiel through the last of it. He puts his hand over Castiel’s on his erection and starts him moving again, doing most of the work. But he really doesn’t take much more work past that to reach an orgasm himself.

They kiss through that too until Dean sags forward against Castiel’s chest. He remains there for a few moments to catch his breath. Without thinking, Castiel wraps his arms around him and hold him. That was wonderful and he feels such a sense of accomplishment for being able to carry through with it. _Finally_ , after four seasons of wondering and waiting and worrying. And he can’t for the life of him wonder why he waited so long to talk to Dean about it because this was wonderful and he might really be looking forward to the next time they can try something like this again.

After a while, Dean drops back and gestures for Castiel to move to the back of the hollow. He lays on his stomach with his tail directed towards the opening of the hollow and starts swinging it back and forth. Castiel knows exactly what he’s doing. Dean’s trying to cycle the water through the hollow so they won’t be sleeping with their release in the water around them. The scent alone would be enough to drive Castiel crazy and he doubts that he could sleep.

Castiel curls on his side and watches Dean clean up their sleeping space. His limbs feel too heavy to do anything to help. All he wants to do now is curl up with Dean and sleep. Not even this tingling in his muscles could keep him awake right now.

Once he’s satisfied with the state of the hollow, Dean drifts over to rest practically on top of him. He presses kisses along Castiel’s arm and shoulder. _(You don’t okay, Cas?)_

With a hum, he twists to curl around Dean and drape his tail over him. Dean finds one of his hands and brings it to his lips.

Castiel hums again. _(I think we should do that again in the morning.)_

Dean laughs and kisses his knuckles again. _(Whatever you want, Cas. I’m very happy with tonight and if you want to try more again, I’ll definitely be here to help you through all of it.)_

The kin-connection drowns with Dean’s satisfaction. It’s filled to the brim with his affections for Castiel and his happiness with how tonight went. Castiel basks in the feeling and feeds his own love into their link so Dean will know that he’s happy too. But no matter how much he shares, Castiel will never be able to get across just how grateful he is to have Dean in his life now.

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all she wrote, folks. _Beneath the Surface_ has been in the planning stages since _Out of the Deep_ finished almost four years ago. Finally, after so long, it has reached fruition and I hope that you're all as satisfied with it as I am. I cannot begin to thank you all enough for sticking with me this long - even if you're a new reader. Thank you for all your kind words and your support over the years with my writing projects. I may not always respond to the ao3 comments, but I do read every single one of them and each one of them touches me in my heart muscle. So, thank you. Thank you. _Thank you._ None of my projects would ever see their end if it wasn't for the encouragement I get from my readers. You're the most integral part of my writing process and I love you so much for being my muses. 
> 
> I hope you'll all be sticking around, because on September 6th/2016, _[The Graveyard Shift](http://riseofthefallenone.tumblr.com/tagged/graveyardshiftAU)_ will be opening its doors. It'll be a collaboration between myself and the ever wonderful [PurgatoryJar](http://purgatoryjar.tumblr.com). Her amazing art will accompany my writing, and the story has been carefully crafted between it. We're both super excited to be presenting you with the first chapter in a couple weeks, so stick around! (And of course I'll still be writing _The Companion Piece_!


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